Humayun pleads proposal for cut in tariffs on industrial goods

In preparation for the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial meeting in December 2005, commerce ministers from several key countries have gathered in Geneva.
They have been holding meetings in various formats to find a way out of blockade of WTO negotiations. The WTO''s Trade Negotiating Committee, which has over all responsibility for negotiations, is meeting on Thursday (October 13) to take stock of the progress made and to provide guidance for the final phase of negotiations.
In these meetings, Pakistan is being represented by a high-level delegation led by Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan. Other members of the delegation include Syed Asif Shah, secretary Commerce, Dr Manzoor Ahmad, ambassador to WTO, Tariqpuri, economic minister at Brussels and Qasim Niaz, joint secretary.
Besides seeking reforms of agricultural trade rules, Pakistan is also keen on seeking steep reduction on its exports of manufactured goods in the markets of developed countries.
The delegation attended an important G20 Ministerial meeting, which met here today (October 11) at the Brazilian Mission. Based on the G20 Ministerial Declaration, which was adopted at Bhurban on 10 September 2005, the ministers reviewed the progress made on the objectives outlined in that Declaration and also discussed their future strategy for achieving those agreed objectives in agricultural negotiations.
Besides holding bilateral meetings at the ministerial level, Humayun
Akhtar Khan also hosted a dinner in honour of several ministers, including Peter Mandelson, EU''s Trade Commissioner, Celso Amorim, Brazilian Foreign and Trade Minister, Kamal Nath, Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry and Chinese Vice Minister for Foreign Trade. Several Geneva-based ambassadors also attended this dinner.
Mr Khan exchanged views with his counterparts on the on-going negotiations and how best to ensure that Hong Kong Ministerial meeting is a success. In all these meetings, Humayun Akhtar Khan had also been lobbying for acceptance of Pakistan''s proposal for reduction of tariffs on industrial goods. If it is finally accepted, it would mean reduction of tariffs on our exports of textiles and clothing by more than 60 percent.
Pakistan''s delegation is also holding meetings with Geneva and Brussels'' based lawyers and EU''s senior officials to seek possible review of the recent EU decision regarding levy of anti-dumping duty on bedlinen from Pakistan.