G-33 Spells Out ‘SP’, ‘SSM’ Terms

Geneva - Trade ministers of the Group-of-33 developing-country coalition - which is seeking enhanced flexibilities for "special products" and a "special safeguard mechanism" in the Doha Development Agenda farm trade negotiations - repeated yesterday the negotiating mandate on "special products" does not require developing countries to provide any compensation including through tariff-quota commitments (WTD, 3/21/07).

During the recent bilateral meetings among the Group-of-Four countries - the United States, the European Union, India and Brazil - the United States is understood to have demanded tariff-rate quotas to assure market openings for "special products" in some key developing countries, sources said

The G-33 - meeting in Jakarta yesterday - said it will propose a list of indicators for the selection of "special products" in a manner that will "assure transparency while enabling all developing countries to appropriately self designate an appropriate number of products based on the mandated criteria. .... The indicators represent the simplest and most rational approach to operationalizing the mandate for 'special products' as they take into consideration the wide range of domestic circumstances of developing countries," said the group's final communiqu