November 17, 2001	Saturday	Ramazan 1, 1422

ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: The World Trade Organization (WTO) has agreed to examine three Pakistani demands relating to extension in phasing out the deletion programme, addressing debt problem and technology transfer.

“They (WTO) hav’nt agreed to it (the demands) but agreed to examine it during the next two years and consider at the 5th ministerial meeting”, said Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood.

Briefing newsmen about the WTO ministerial meeting last week in Doha, the minister said that overall outcome was balance for Pakistan.

He said Pakistan specifically pointed out that debt burden on developing countries has increased in the past and the WTO members should examine and make recommendations to find a solution to the debt problem.

It was thus decided that a working group be constituted that would submit its recommendations to the next WTO ministerial meeting in 2003. The working group, he said, would work under the general council and also suggest measures to increase the flow of technology to the developing countries.

He said that Pakistan also raised Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) in the background of public health as multinational pharmaceuticals raised medicine prices every now and then on this pretext but it was agreed to negotiate whether the governments could stop them from doing so in the public health interest and take precautionary measures.

The minister said that developed countries contended that geographical indications (local knowledge) could not be protected now because only wines and spirits were covered under the TRIPs. However, finally they agreed to discuss it and added that “we have to give a list of geographical indications (to WTO) in Geneva”.

He said that developed countries agreed to the demand of the developing countries to phase out import tariff and subsidies to their agricultural products besides concentrating on development box.

On the question of implementation issues relating to textile and Trade Related Investment Measures, the minister said that WTO agreed to grant extension in phase out plan till 2003.

“We wanted further extension (up to 2005)” and they agreed to discuss it over the next six months”, said the minister.

In return, the developed countries followed a tough position on trade and investment issues including competition, transparency in government procurement and trade facilities and developing countries gave a lot of things.

The final draft was finally diluted to the extent that members would discuss modalities during the next two years and decided how the investment and trade are to be taken forward at the 5th ministerial meeting, he said.

On trade and environment, the minister said, the meeting agreed to discuss at the next ministerial meeting as to how anything affecting the Ozone could be controlled. Once that is agreed they can take us into the trade settlement body, said the minister and added “we have to examine the multilateral agreements on environment”.

He said Pakistan emphasised the need for investment in the environment sector because “we said you are the real culprit and you should pay to compensate”, said the minister. He, however, said that a committee has been constituted to start deliberation in 3-4 months and submit its recommendations to the 5th ministerial meeting in 2003.

He said that developing countries also raised the use of anti-dumping duties too liberally by countries like Japan, Australia and Europe and made them to discuss it later.

On the question of labour standards, the minister said that WTO wanted to link these standards with trade but finally it only “reaffirmed” labour standards agreed in Singapore last year and “took note” of the work done by the International Labour Organization (ILO).