The UK and India have decided to work together to resolve the deadlock on the issue of Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights and public health, an issue, which has the potential to hold up negotiations in other areas at the World Trade Organisation.
Visiting British secretary of state for trade and industry, Patricia Hewitt, said the UK was in favour of retaining flexibility in the list of diseases under the Doha declaration on public health.
The issue, which was to be resolved by December 31, 2002, was left hanging because the US had refused to agree to a wider interpretation on disease-coverage under the declaration.
"The UK proposed to work on persuading the US again. There were suggestions of finalising a list of diseases, exceptions to which could be included, in case of excegencies, at the request of the World Health Organisation," said Commerce Minister Arun Shourie. India had requested the UK to circulate a draft note on the issue, he added.
India would work in consultation with like-minded countries, including China, Brazil and the Africa group, on the issue, he said.
Hewitt, who met Shourie on Tuesday, said the two countries had decided to work more closely on WTO-related issues, especially the Doha development agenda.
India's priorities in the ongoing negotiations were implementation issues, special and differential treatment, and Trips and public health, said Indian officials.
"The west can't preach free trade and practice protectionism," Hewitt said, adding that the developed world would have to open their markets for products like textiles and agricultural output before expecting developing countries to open their markets.
The two countries will also work towards building up a pool of expertise on agriculture. Experts in the area, both from within and outside the government, will interact regularly to exchange views.
Among other issues raised by the visiting delegation was the high duty on import of premium whiskies. High duties were driving many Indian consumers to buy from the grey or black markets, she said. Lower duties would promote legitimate trade and ensure higher revenues to the government, she said.
India, however, rejected the demand stating that drastic cuts in duties were not possible due to revenue considerations.
The government was committed to rationalise the existing duty structure in a phased manner and had reduced the duty on imported spirits in the last few years from 700 per cent to around 300-400 per cent, Shourie said.
The delegation also raised the issue of certification for allowing imports of roughs in the context of conflict diamonds and made a proposal for increasing the capacity of UK-India air services by way of additional flights.
The meeting was also attended by commerce secretary Dipak Chatterjee, V Govindarajan, secretary (industrial policy and promotion), and S N Menon, additional secretary, department of commerce.
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