India to work towards creating a "give and take" environment at WTO talks

New Delhi: India will work towards creating a balance of "give-and-take" among the developing and developed countries for ensuring the success of the Doha round of trade talks.

Speaking at the Nikkei "Future of Asia Conference" in Tokyo, commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath said, "I intend to continue working with my colleagues in order to create that balance of give-and-take across the Doha work programme as a whole that will make winners of each of us."

He said the unity of the developing countries in the World Trade Organisation has "withstood all pressures to undermine the development promise of the Doha round," an official release quoting the minister said here.

He, however, said there was no recognition as yet by some developed countries that the basic premise of the ongoing trade talks was the development dimension and not market access for the rich countries.

Nath also alluded to the double speak of a few rich countries who want subsidies to continue for their own farmers but do not want them for industries in the developing countries.

"We are told that subsidies are bad for industrial sectors but on agricultural subsidies the only thing we hear is that we will get back to you," he said.