Ag groups defend U.S. stance against India in WTO as tensions mount
September 22, 2014 | 07:36 PM
A coalition of U.S. farm and agriculture groups late last week sent Trade Representative Michael Froman a letter praising the tough stance the United States has taken in the World Trade Organization over India’s unwillingness to agree to the Trade Facilitation Agreement reached in Bali without some assurances on the public stockholding of food.
“The undersigned food and agricultural organizations wish to express their deep appreciation to you and your staff for defending U.S. interests and the integrity of commitments undertaken in the World Trade Organization (WTO) by refusing to acquiesce to demands by India to reopen agreements reached at the WTO Ministerial in Bali last December,” the groups wrote in the letter that was released by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“India’s attempt to hold the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) hostage to gain concessions in agriculture beyond those it secured as part of the overall Bali package in order to maintain their flawed policy has been a brazen effort to force other WTO member nations to pay twice to gain India’s endorsement of TFA,” the letter said.
“This behavior cannot be tolerated by WTO members and we are grateful that the United States has taken leadership in making that clear,” the groups added.
Meanwhile, the United States, the European Union, Japan and Canada on Friday adopted a common strategy to block work in the Doha services negotiating body on the ground that members cannot draw up a post-Bali work program without first adopting the Bali decision on the protocol of amendment to the Trade Facilitation Agreement, Washington Trade Daily reported today.
But China, Switzerland, Colombia, Norway and India — among others — said it would not be proper to stall work at the services negotiating table given its importance to most of the WTO members, participants familiar with a Friday meeting told WTD.
The United States delivered a hard-hitting message saying that if there is no “Bali,” there can be no “post-Bali” at three separate WTO meetings, WTD said.
▪ Letter to Froman on WTO
“The undersigned food and agricultural organizations wish to express their deep appreciation to you and your staff for defending U.S. interests and the integrity of commitments undertaken in the World Trade Organization (WTO) by refusing to acquiesce to demands by India to reopen agreements reached at the WTO Ministerial in Bali last December,” the groups wrote in the letter that was released by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“India’s attempt to hold the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) hostage to gain concessions in agriculture beyond those it secured as part of the overall Bali package in order to maintain their flawed policy has been a brazen effort to force other WTO member nations to pay twice to gain India’s endorsement of TFA,” the letter said.
“This behavior cannot be tolerated by WTO members and we are grateful that the United States has taken leadership in making that clear,” the groups added.
Meanwhile, the United States, the European Union, Japan and Canada on Friday adopted a common strategy to block work in the Doha services negotiating body on the ground that members cannot draw up a post-Bali work program without first adopting the Bali decision on the protocol of amendment to the Trade Facilitation Agreement, Washington Trade Daily reported today.
But China, Switzerland, Colombia, Norway and India — among others — said it would not be proper to stall work at the services negotiating table given its importance to most of the WTO members, participants familiar with a Friday meeting told WTD.
The United States delivered a hard-hitting message saying that if there is no “Bali,” there can be no “post-Bali” at three separate WTO meetings, WTD said.
▪ Letter to Froman on WTO
