‘End game’ may be long for reaching trade pact, says Brazil

Brazil, coordinator of the G-20 developing countries, today supported India’s contention that the vexed Doha trade talks have not really reached the “end game” as is being made out by the rich nations and also WTO chief Pascal Lamy.

Brazilian External Affairs Minister Celso Amorim, who is among the 35 trade ministers at the Delhi informal ministerial meeting said, “In the game of chess, sometimes the end game is much longer over the middle game. The fact that we are in the middle game does not mean it (Doha Round) will finish.”

Amorim was clarifying his earlier statement that the Doha Round talks had reached end game.Developed countries, he added, have to do much more than pay a mere “lip service” for development dimension of the Round which has been in discussion for last seven years without any breakthrough.

India also reiterated today that “We have a long way to travel before we can safely say we are in the end game”.

Chairing the meeting for the second day, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, wanted to know from the ministers, especially from the US and the EU, whether there was any clarity on conclusion of the trade talks by 2010.

“Do we clearly want the Doha Round of negotiations to conclude in 2010?, he asked.