2 Market access for products of export interest from developing countries in developed country markets must improve substantially and concerns of preferences receiving countries must be addressed.
3 Emphasizing the importance of special & differential (S&D) treatment in all the three pillars of agriculture negotiations, they stressed the role of Special Products (SPs) and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) as a means of addressing the food security, rural development and livelihood means of developing countries in the area of agricultural market access.
4 They reaffirmed their support for LDC demands for duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access and called for a concrete outcome in Hong Kong on this issue.
5 They stressed the need for a commitment at Hong Kong to address the issue of cotton ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically.
6 The specific measures should be adopted to address trade-related issues raised by the small, vulnerable economies.
7 Vowing to intensify the dialogue while recognizing the diversity of their situations and perceptions, they reiterated their commitment to a successful conclusion of the Doha Round by the end of 2006.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in a statement has welcomed the unprecedented alliance among a large number of developing and least developed countries having diverse interests and termed this as being among the most significant developments so far in the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference.
They complimented Mr. Kamal Nath for his efforts towards coalition building in Hong Kong which, they said, could be a vital input in achieving a pro-development outcome from the Doha Round.
Press Information Bureau Government of India
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