\E\I\I\a\E\I\I\aIndia welcomes Hong Kong WTO deal - Delhi TV.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Text of report by Indian Doordarshan DDTV news channel on 18 December

In today's top story, WTO, of course, where 149 nations have reached a deal at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong. Negotiators agreed to phase out farm export subsidies by 2013, deliver a development package to the poorest countries, and set a new deadline of April 30th, 2006 to complete the full modalities of the agreement.

India has welcomed the Hong Kong Declaration and the positive outcome of the ministerial meeting. Commerce Minister Kamal Nath has asserted that the deal is one such fully which protects the interests of the Indian agriculture and subsidy. [sentence as heard]

[Correspondent Sharat Chandra] The strategy of a grand alliance of developing countries has paid off. Developing countries have ensured that several of their concerns in agriculture, non-agriculture market access [NAMA], and development issues have found mention in the Hong Kong Declaration. Developed countries have agreed to eliminate export subsidies progressively by 2013. On the crucial issue of NAMA, the concerns raised by India over …