Cancun (Mexico): India along with Brazil on September 14 spearheaded the developing countries battle at the WTO (World Trade Organisation), attacking the draft document that was seen by them as one sided in favour of the EU and US and ignoring their interests.

Without mincing words, Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley expressed disappointment that the revised draft "arbitrarily disregarded views and concerns" of developing countries and warned that the text did not lend itself to any meaningful dialogue.

"We still believe that this conference must be brought to a successful conclusion. We hope that circumstances and environment will be created to enable us to participate constructively," Jaitley told the meeting of heads of delegation to discuss the draft that has given very little to developing countries on contentious issue of agriculture as favoured by the EU and unbundled Singapore issue as advocated by US.

Speaking immediately after Brazil, which spoke on behalf of G-21 regarding developing countries concerns on agriculture, he said "We are disappointed that the draft text ignores several concerns expressed by us and many developing countries."

"I note that the pretence of development dimensions of the Doha Agenda has finally been discarded confirming the apprehension expressed by me at the plenary session that this is mere rhetoric," Jaitley said to the huge applause from the developing countries trade ministers.

On Agriculture, he said not only are the distortions prevalent today being perpetrated, but a slew of new measures to increase such distortions were being proposed in the draft, he said.

PTI