The Indian government proposes to take a tough line on negotiations on the Doha round of the WTO talks. The additional secretary to the commerce ministry, D K Mittal, enunciated this line while discussing the prospects of the next round of WTO discussions expected to be summed up by the end of next year.

Responding to an appeal by WTO deputy director Harshvardhan Singh that a multilateral forum like WTO offers a new hope for development, Mittal highlighted the government's concern about the duplicity practised by the developed nations. Participating in a discussion in New Delhi this week, he said that the yardsticks applied to the nation where only five percent population subsisted on the agriculture would not hold good for India where agriculture is source of sustenance for 60 percent of population.

Similarly, Mittal pointed out that the manufacturing sector of the IT industry bypassed India because of the country's environmental concerns. By all indications, Mittal made it clear that the government was not bound to kow-tow the developed nations' line if it is in conflict with the interests of the developing nations. However, he clarified that India must not be seen as “spoiler” as we are all for negotiations and discussions.

Harshwardhan Singh found India's commitment for dialogue and negotiation as a way forward to sum up the Doha negotiations in the stipulated time frame. He expressed his optimism that the multilateral forum would be effective in dealing with inequity prevailing among the nations.