Sydney: Articulating developing countries' concern, India on November 15 wanted "faster progress and positive outcome " on the crucial World Trade Organisation (WTO) implementation issues to restore credibility of the multilateral negotiations.

Faster progress on implementation issues will prepare a roadmap for the remaining issues ahead of next year's WTO ministerial at Cancun, Commerce Minister Arun Shourie told the informal meeting of WTO trade ministers.

Participating in a session on implementation, special and differential treatment at the meet, Shourie said achieving significant progress within a tight timeframe in these important areas was necessary for the credibility of the multilateral trading system.

Noting that there was a feeling in many developing countries that progress in their areas of interest was slow compared to areas like market access, Shourie said this gap should be bridged and all implementation provisions of the WTO agreement be made precise, effective and operational as decided at Doha.

Faster progress on implementation and special and differential treatment issues must be ensured so that positive results on issues of priority to India and other developing countries are achieved by the December deadline and also to prepare a roadmap for settling remaining implementation issues immediately thereafter, before the next ministerial conference at Cancun, he said.

PTI