NEW DELHI: The United States and Canada have indicated their willingness to remove restrictions on employment of skilled persons from this country. The Indian Government, on its part, has hinted that it will adopt a more “flexible” Approach on patent tights, entry of foreign insurance companies in Specified areas and phasing out of textile export quotas at the ongoing Uruguay round of negotiations under the aegis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

This was disclosed by the country’s key negotiator at GATT, Anwarul Hoda, Additional Secretary, and Ministry of Commerce.

The US and Canadian negotiators, according to Hoda, have agreed to expand the definition of “specialized manpower services” to include Indian cooks, nurses, computer analysis etc. employment in their countries.

The Indian Government, as part of its negotiating strategy, would be willing to consider entry of foreign insurance companies and adopt a more flexible stance on intellectual property nightcaps well as on phasing out export quotas on textiles currently governed by the multi-fiber arrangement (MFA).

Hoda, however, emphasized that the European Community (EC) is yet to concede India’s demand for relaxation of immigration curbs on skilled persons. One reason for this could be racial tensions against immigrants in Europe, especially Germany.

Of the seven crucial negotiating areas identified by India in December 1991, differences between India and developed countries remain on issues relating to agriculture, a “full” compromise is also to be worked out on details relating to enforcement of product patents and an “acceptable formula” for phasing out textile quotas over the next decade, Hoda added.

India’s stand on these issues is important in the context of the January 19 GATT negotiators’ meeting at Geneva. While the GATT Director General Arthur Dunked had originally set January 15 as the date for a session of Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC), but the meeting was postponed.

Hoda said the Indian team is ready with its brief on the negotiations but will take a final decision on visiting Geneva by Jan.17; Hoda is of the view that the TNC meeting may not be conclusive.

Contradicting reports that the Commerce Ministry team had gone to Geneva in December without an approved negotiating ‘brief,’ Hoda said “the team definitely had a brief.” What had not taken place was a “briefing” on the extent to which India should concede on individual matters, he said, arguing that this was “not crucial” until the final stages of the Uruguay round of negotiations are reached.

According to him, India needs to negotiate further concessions from developed countries in three broad areas agricultural subsides, textiles and patents. While India has indicated its willingness to arrive at a “broad understanding” in these areas, details of concessions would have to be spelt out by counties of the North.

Article extracted from this publication >>  January 22, 1993