New Delhi: Rejecting the critics' claim that it came back from WTO talks "empty handed", government on Wednesday asserted in Rajya Sabha that India's stand was "reinforced" and it had ensured protection of farmers' interests without succumbing to pressures from countries like the US and EU.
"It is wrong to say that we came empty handed instead we came with our hands reinforced," Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while making a statement and replying to clarifications.
"This government has not bowed before anybody's pressure. I want to reaffirm that India did not surrender before the US or the European Union and instead in Nairobi what we have ensured is to have a reaffirmation of Bali and General Council meeting of November 2014," she said.
The Minister said the larger coalition was still with India at the talks in Nairobi last week.
She said India sought and succeeded in obtaining a re-affirmative ministerial decision on public stockholding for food security purposes honouring both Bali and General Council decisions and "we will not be pulled to any court of WTO" as few members apprehended.
"India negotiated hard to ensure that the WTO continues to place the interest of developing countries and LDCs at the centre of its agenda," she said, adding that a few developed countries including the US, however, are opposed to the continuation of the Doha Round.
The Nairobi Ministerial Declaration acknowledged that members have different views on how to address the future of the Doha Round negotiations but noted strong commitment of all members to advance negotiations on the remaining Doha issues, she said.
Sitharaman added that a large group of developing countries has been seeking a Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) for agriculture products in future discussions in WTO, India negotiated a ministerial decision which recognises that developing countries will have the right to have recourse to an SSM as envisaged in the mandate.
"We ensured that it be taken up in Nairobi and a ministerial committee recommitted itself to give right to developing countries for protection from import surges," she said The Minister said in Bali, it was agreed that a permanent solution would be given by 2017 and it will be India's endeavour to obtain it.
On export subsidy, she said that developed countries had agreed to withdraw all subsidies for export promotion and this would result in India competing in international market.
"We are not the people who will go out of the country to compromise on issues," she said, adding that after Doha Round unfulfilled agenda is taken to a conclusion.
Interest of Indian fishermen is protected as India did not entertain the idea of a WTO committee coming and inspecting fisheries.
