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New Delhi , Aug. 8

AS part of the process of wide-ranging consultations with political parties and trade unions in the run-up to the fifth Ministerial meeting of the WTO in Cancun next month, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, assured the Indian trade unions that the views expressed by them would weigh substantially with the Government in formulating its negotiating positions.

Speaking to a group of trade union leaders here on Thursday evening, the Minister said that national interests would be of paramount importance for India in all key areas of negotiations.

The Minister gave an overview of the state of play in the ongoing negotiations in the WTO in the context of India's concerns and priorities particularly in the key areas of agriculture, agricultural and non-agricultural market access, trade-related intellectual property rights and public health, services and implementation issues, including investment.

On non-agricultural market access of industrial goods, a subject of direct interest to the trade unions, he mentioned India's interest in differential measures for tariff reduction between developed and developing countries on the basis of less than full reciprocity.

The trade union representatives emphasised the need to protect agriculture and industry especially plantations and textiles from the adverse impact of import liberalisation through retention of quantitative restrictions, wherever required.

They urged caution on Singapore issues and said that India should mobilise developing countries in order to resist pressure from the developed country members in the negotiations.

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