Brazil
said that an inter-ministerial working group is finalizing implementation of
the commitment made by Foreign Minister Celso Amorim at the WTO Ministerial
Conference last year for duty-free, quota-free treatment for LDCs. It said
that the preferential treatment will initially cover 80 per cent of the
tariff lines by mid-year, and will be expanded to reach 100 per cent.
India said that it was the first developing country to offer duty-free,
quota-free treatment to LDC exports in 2008. It said it is working to ensure
that the scheme provide effective market access, noting that important LDC
products are covered like cotton, cocoa, cane sugar and ready-made garments.
It said that the scheme has become fully operational for 14 LDCs, and urged
other LDCs to utilize this facility.
Bangladesh underlined the importance of the scheme for LDCs, and thanked
Brazil and India for their update reports on their respective programmes.
Regional trade agreements
The Chair, Amb. Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing,
reported that two new regional trade agreements between developing countries
had been recently notified to the Committee under the Enabling Clause. These
are India's free trade agreements with Mercosur and with Afghanistan,
respectively. He said that the Committee could consider these two agreements
early next year.
He said that a previously-notified agreement, that between Chile and India,
would be examined by the Committee this June.
Regarding notified agreements involving non-WTO members, the chair said that
the WTO Secretariat is still waiting for the completion of ratification of
the Pacific Islands Trade Agreement and the South Asian Free Trade
Agreement, and for more data from the India-Bhutan Free Trade Agreement.
The chair also reported that the Gulf Cooperation Council notification of a
customs union is the subject of informal consultations.
The chair reported good progress in informal consultations regarding a
transparency mechanism for preferential trade arrangements proposed by
Brazil, China, India and the United States.
India said that in the course of future consultations, it would take on
board other concerns expressed by members.
Election of officers
The Committee elected Amb. Erwidodo (Indonesia) as
its chair for 2010. He commended Amb. Servansing's leadership for the past
three years, and pledged to maintain the high profile of the Committee in
the WTO.
The Committee also elected Amb. Jean Feyder (Luxembourg) for another term as
chair of the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries.
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