NEW DELHI: Undeterred by the collapse of the Mini-Ministerial meeting of the WTO in Geneva, key trading nations of the world are expected to make another attempt by July-end to hammer out an agreement for completion of the Doha round of negotiations before December 2006.
"I hope that there is another meeting by the end of this month," Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said on his return on Sunday morning from the WTO meeting in Geneva.
However, with the collapse of talks at Geneva, the target of December 2006 for completion of Doha round looks more difficult, he said.
All the major players have talked of the need for a breakthrough by end of July to complete Doha round by December as special powers to US administration to negotiate trade expired by end of 2006 and is unlikely to be extended.
Nath said he decided to return from Geneva two days before the meeting was scheduled to end as there was no negotiating space.
He said India could not have been part of any agreement that did not address the development concerns of developing countries.
Developed countries will have to address trade-distorting subsidies in agriculture, he said adding that he had gone to Geneva so that Indian farmers can get something and not give something.
"If developed countries are seeking market access, if they are seeking to enter Indian market, which destabilises Indian farmers then it is not possible to have an agreement," Nath added.
