The Hindu Business Line : Cabinet panel on WTO okays revised offers on services

THE Cabinet Committee on WTO (CCWTO) matters on Monday gave the Commerce Ministry the requisite flexibility to move forward in the services negotiations within the limits of India's autonomous negotiations, as the trade envoys gather in Geneva this week to wrap up the approximation to the final framework for negotiations in various areas.

An official release issued here said that the CCWTO met here under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and directed the Department of Commerce to make the revised offers to the WTO in July/August, 2005 as part of the services negotiations under the Doha Round.

The Commerce Department has prepared the revised offer after duly consulting the Ministry of Information Broadcasting, Department of Telecommunications and Ministry of Finance in services related sectors that come under each one of the Ministries.

The release said that while making the revised offer at the WTO trade talks, India would be guided by the range and depth of the improved offers that would be made by the developed countries in the modes and sectors of interest to India.

India's major trading partners such as the United States, the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia have already submitted their revised offers and a scrutiny of these offers reveal that they had fallen short of India's expectations.

Hence, India's offer would be calibrated appropriately keeping its best interest in view. India is quite optimistic that other countries would respond favourably to its requests of increased marked access, particularly in Modes 1 (cross border supply of services) and 4 (movement of natural persons).

In keeping with the July (2004) Framework Agreement, New Delhi would be making its revised offers shortly in sectors, which include those in which commitments were made in the Uruguay Round or in which initial offers were made in the ongoing Doha Round of WTO negotiations.

A few other sectors will also be included in the revised offer, which might include businessservices, construction and related engineering, health related and social services, tourism and travel related services, maritime and transport services.

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