The Hindu | November 15, 2001 | By C. Rammanohar Reddy
DOHA, NOV. 15. When the stakes are high and it comes down to the wire, the World Trade Organisation returns to its old non-transparent and bullying ways. A few shenaningans, mentioned by a number of officials, ambassadors and ministers from rich and poor countries not all of whom wanted to be quoted, about what transpired behind closed doors.
WTO officials initially said that Doha would be the first ministerial without the notorious "green room" process of the former GATT, when ministers from a dozen or so rich and poor countries used to be called in to be brow-beaten by the U.S. and the E.U. behind closed doors and the results then sent to the larger assembly of all WTO members to be rubber-stamped for approval. With no agreement in sight, November 13 - the scheduled last day of the conference - saw ministers from 20-odd countries of the 142 WTO members called in at 6 p.m for closed door negotiations in Presidential Suite 11 of the conference centre. That meeting went on, with one brief interruption, up to 3 a.m on November 14 as the E.U., the U.S. and the WTO Director General, Mr. Mike Moore, sought to impress a recalcitrant bloc of developing countries to agree to the launch of a new round. "Wearing us down with fatigue is the typical tactic of the powerful at the WTO," said a minister from a developing country.
Those not invited had to wait outside to be briefed on the results of the talks. That was the end of the transparency initiative at the WTO. Uninvited government officials who tried to enter the decision-making room were asked to leave. This was what happened when Mr. Yash Tandon from the Uganda delegation tried to participate in the meeting. A little later a Trade Counsellor from a developing country who wanted to be present to advise his minister was refused permission to attend.
On issues of content too, pressure was applied. "At 3 a.m. on November 14, the European Union suddenly sprang a completely new proposal on the environment," said a developing country official, referring to how one of the most contentious issues at Doha was being dealt with. "Tanzania's minister said he could not understand the language and could he please have some time so that he could refer the issue to his officials outside." It is not only the developing countries who were subjected to such actions. A WTO ambassador from a European country that is not a member of the E.U. said that his country was upset with changes that the U.S. suddenly proposed on anti-dumping duties. "It was neither explained to us nor could we understand why new phrases and conditions were added at the last minute. Yet our consent was demanded immediately."
During the tense negotiations, ministers on more than one occasion lost their cool. But the ones who used strong words were usually the representatives of the rich countries. On one such event on November 13, angry with the tone of the admonishments from cabinet members of two of the developed countries in the Americas, Mr. Munir Akram, Pakistan's WTO ambassador, walked out though his minister remained in Presidential Suite 11. Next day, one of the senior-most officials of the WTO, anxious to launch a new round, showed his irritation with a commerce minister from Asia. It was left to junior WTO officials to subsequently apologise for such behaviour.
One senior ambassador from a developed country said what was witnessed at the WTO was going to harm the WTO as an institution.
"Some countries and WTO officials will go to any extent to get approval for a new round. But the way they are going about it is damaging the very foundations of the WTO."
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