Posted on 07/21/2005 7:58:46 PM PDT by hedgetrimmer
India is likely to open its market for quota-and duty-free access of LDC products before the coming WTO ministerial meet slated for December 13-18 in Hong Kong, in compliance of international trade rules, reports UNB.
The Indian side gave the hint at the fifth WTO mini-ministerial meeting in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian, according to message received in Dhaka on Thursday. The three-day meeting concluded today (Thursday).
Bangladesh at the July 12-14 Dalian round of talks strongly demanded of the developing and advanced developing counties to provide quota-and duty-free access of agriculture and non-agriculture products of the least developed countries to their markets.
Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury led a three-member Bangladesh delegation to the meeting, one of a series aimed at forging a common stance to be taken in the next ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation.
Bangladesh in the Dalian meet renewed its stance and put spotlight on some specific issues like agriculture, non-agriculture market access, development, services rule and trade facilitation.
It “successfully put forward the legal and logical bases for initiation of compensatory mechanism and trade remedial measures for the LDCs if they are affected in case of reducing the tariffs and withdrawal of subsidy on agriculture or non-agriculture products”, says the message.
The meet agreed to push Bangladesh’s motion seeking unfettered temporary movement of natural persons at the coming ministerial meet.
Quoting the World Bank and world-famous economists, the Bangladesh representative explained in the meet that if only 3 per cent of the OECD labor market is opened, the sender country and receiver country solely would be able to earn around US$ 150-200 million yearly.
The country argued on the issue that if capital movement is allowed as a factor of production, why the movement of natural persons should not be allowed.
Trade ministers from around 35 WTO member-states representing least developed, developing and developed countries attended the meeting, Commerce Ministry officials here told UNB.
They said the LDCs’ demands for movement of natural persons (mode-4) and other concerns would emerge more prominently in the sixth and last mini-ministerial meet to be held in South Korea.
The meeting also agreed to support continuation of low-cost bank loans for farmers and reduced power tariffs for irrigation.
Bangladesh participated in the mini-ministerial to uphold the trade interests of the LDCs and mobilise a unified stand in the international trade forum.
Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain left for Dalian last Saturday. He was scheduled to come back home Thursday night.
Its just what we've been saying.
The WTO has made up its mind to infringe on our sovereignty as a nation: it wants to decide our immigration levels for us.
Remittances and the WTO.
Well, only artificial persons need apply. As for the natural ones, we could export a few ourselves.
WTO
free movement of "natural persons"
aliens need not apply.....
"movement of natural persons"?!
"As for the natural ones, we could export a few ourselves"
I would suggest that anyone on public assistance for 6 months gets sent to Bangladesh.
Why would Bangladesh accept them?
If they puah through this lousy WTO rule it looks like they would have to.
Well, the destination could change, say, to North Korea; and as for why - it could be explained that it is a form of food assistance.
Do we get to decide who's 'un-natural'??
International Conference on Remittances (U.N., New York, 13 October 2004) says "The contribution of remittances as an important source of finance for developing countries is now well established.. . .the success of countries such as Mexico, India and the Philippines in attracting and (to some extent) investing remittances highlights the importance of managed and orderly migration to support the role of migrants as agents of development."
Migrants are important agents of development.
The emphasis is on development, development, development. Raise everyone's boat. Europe, Washington, the WTO, the ILO, the U.N., the World Bank, everywhere everything is about raising everyone's boat.
You bet your bibby we ain't seen nothing yet.
Free tradin' away technology, wealth, and jobs to developing countries or "guest workers" from developing countries, it's all the same. Raise everyone's boat. Well.. actually some boats will have to sink a mite (or two).
IMO it's just a matter of time (a short time) before remittances will be withheld from the migrant workers' paychecks in the host country. Thus collecting taxes for the host country will be double taxation and unfa-a-a-a-a-a-air.
Besides the host countries benefit from "cheap" labor, right? Well, some in the host countries do.
Some don't. The host countries' citizens will however still be required to subsidize the "guest workers'" human rights to housing, food, health care, education, I-pods, the Internet. . . .
Businessmen will smile and praise the booming economy -- finally! Free at last from government interference..uh, except for subsidized labor.
Wot?! Oh, of course. Subsidized labor. That's gooooood government interference.
The question remains, WHO will pay the bills when the takers outnumber the givers?
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