Commerce
Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury
has said initiatives of civil
society are critically important
to put pressure on the developed
countries to place the LDC's concerns
and interests in the heart of
the current WTO negotiations.
"Although
the draft ministerial text takes
into consideration the LDCs
interests, the United States
has come out very strongly against
it", he said while speaking
at the inaugural session of
a symposium organised by the
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)
on the Post-Doha Marginalisation
of LDC Concerns here on Friday.
The
CPD, which is being represented
by a three-member delegation,
is participating in, and organizing
various events in Cancun with
an objective to advance LDC
interests in the context of
the ongoing WTO Ministerial
Meeting in Cancun. Chaired by
CPD Executive Directive Dr Debapriya
Bhattacharya, the inaugural
function was also addressed
by Commerce Secretary Suhel
Ahmed Choudhury and Chairman
of the Geneva-based International
Centre for Trade and Sustainable
Development (ICTSD) Dr Taufiq
Banuri. The Commerce Minister,
also the Vice-Chairman of WTO's
Ministerial Meeting, said there
was no visible breakthrough
yet in the special as well as
differential treatment and capacity
building support to the LDCs
although they were trying to
uphold their agenda for expanded
markets in the developed countries.
" A lot of discussions
are talking place here on agricultural
market access and Singapore
issues, while there are strong
opposing positions among the
WTO members", he also said.
Suhel
Ahmed Choudhury expressed his
frustration regarding the progress
so far in the negotiations and
observed that if the LDCs' demands
are not fulfilled, they should
take a fresh look at the multilateral
trading regime after the ministerial
meeting is over.
