New Delhi: With hectic negotiations continuing at WTO to meet the July 30 deadline for Framework Agreement, India today (July 29, 2004) called for revision in the draft text to address its concerns and make it acceptable.

Pointing at the lack of balance in the draft framework circulated by WTO on July 16, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath continued to demand that developing countries' concerns be addressed.

In a bid to address the concerns expressed by both developing and developed countries, a revised version of the draft framework agreement is expected to be released by the Chairman of the WTO General council late evening.

Participating in hectic negotiations in Geneva, Kamal Nath flagged the need for domestic policy space in the area of farm market access in order to safeguard the livelihood and food security concerns of Indian farmers.

He sought provision of Special Products (not linked to tariff rate quotas) and special safeguard mechanism, recognition of concept of proportionality requiring lesser tariff reduction for developing countries and no reduction of e-minimus in domestic support for developing countries, an official statement said in New Delhi.

Nath pointed out that the earlier draft's definition of sensitive products for the EU amounted to a carve-out that effectively blocked market access and by reducing their stake in tariff reduction in further negotiations would be to the detriment of developing countries.