'Difficult Discussions' As WTO Talks Run Beyond Deadline

The world's trade ministers were locked in deadlocked negotiations Friday following overnight talks as a major WTO conference postponed its closing session for a fourth time with no deals in sight

Abu Dhabi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Mar, 2024) The world's trade ministers were locked in deadlocked negotiations Friday following overnight talks as a major WTO conference postponed its closing session for a fourth time with no deals in sight.

An Indian-led push for permanent rules governing public stockholding of food reserves has drawn deep objections from other members at the World Trade Organization's 13th ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi, according to sources close to the talks.

The standoff is imperilling a wider package of agreements on fisheries and an e-commerce moratorium only hours before the deadline, the sources added, speaking on condition of anonymity as they are not permitted to discuss ongoing negotiations.

The WTO meeting in the capital of the United Arab Emirates was initially scheduled to wrap up on Thursday. But it was extended beyond its scheduled deadline four times amid rifts between the body's 164 members who must reach unanimous consensus to chalk up any deal as per WTO rules.

A closing conference previously scheduled for 1300 GMT on Friday was pushed back by three hours, as trade ministers negotiated new draft texts on fisheries and agriculture after all-night talks.

"Negotiations on key files are in full swing," the European Union's WTO mission said on X, formerly Twitter, noting that "challenges remain."

Earlier, WTO spokesman Ismaila Dieng said ministers were engaged in "intensive and difficult discussions on a package of agreements for adoption at MC13."

The WTO -- the only international body dealing with the rules of trade between nations -- is under pressure to secure some wins at MC13 to prove its relevance.

Its 12th ministerial conference in Geneva in 2022 was hailed as a landmark success following deals on fisheries and a commitment by members to restore a now-defunct dispute settlement body before the end of this year.

"Our challenge this week is to demonstrate that MC12 wasn't a one-off miracle," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on Monday.

- 'Makes or breaks' -

With farmer protests sweeping Europe and India, agriculture agreements have emerged as a particularly sensitive topic of debate.

Member states are trying to negotiate a text listing the subjects that merit further discussion.

A key sticking point is a demand by India and other member states for permanent rules governing public stockholding of food reserves to replace temporary measures adopted by the WTO.

One proposal on the table suggests taking a step in that direction, but a timetable and other details still need to be defined.

Hours away from the deadline, ministers sat for an "open ended meeting on agriculture with the revised text," the European Union's Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said on X, formerly Twitter.

"Agriculture is again the topic that makes or breaks a ministerial conference. Outcomes are uncertain until the last hours," he said.

A source close to the discussions said progress on agriculture is still blocked.