Without disputing that there have been some cases of protectionism here and there, Pascal Lamy said We have to be vigilant against turning more aggressive in this area. But to date, the governments have not applied sorts of heavy-duty protectionism that so crippled the global economy in the 1920s. They have not, largely, because WTO rules constrain them from doing so. Instead they used a series of lower-intensity measures which are within the scope of WTO rules, at least for the most part. We know that if we are to keep trade open, we have to keep opening trade, and so, that is what we are trying to do. Intellectually, ministers know this. Economically, it makes eminent sense, but in many governments, further trade opening at this time is not easy politically.

Sizing up the present and future scenario, Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean, said, This meeting is important for two reasons-it is a reinforcement of Indias re-engagement in the process and it is a meeting which has the nearest proximity of the G-20 summit. Doha Round of talks should be close to being concluded with almost 80 per cent of trade discussions completed last year and only the rest 20 per cent remain elusive. Significantly, we have seen the emergence of commitment by two significant players-India and the US.

Harsha Vardhana Singh, Deputy Director General of WTO said that an early agreement on a global trade deal will only be possible with co-operation of all the countries. A successful conclusion has a lot to offer in terms of sustainable solutions.

Importance of Doha Round

A successful Doha Round conclusion is of paramount importance to the world as a whole, particularly when the global economic downturn is ebbing away. According to study undertaken by Person Institute for International Economics, a successful Doha Round trade deal could boost the global economy by $ 300-700 billion a year.

The Prospects

It will be pertinent to quote what Pascal Lamy has said, in his recent inaugural remarks at Thinking Ahead on International Trade Conference on Challenges Facing the World Trade System on 17 September 2009, We cannot discuss change and the challenges the future in isolation from full recognizance of the present. We cannot simply look ahead and set aside what we have on our plates today. The viability of the multilateral trading system, the order and predictability that underwreit4s it, and the economic prospects of countries around the world, depend on our ability to finish what we started at in the closing months of 2001-the Doha Round. We have been close, and I believe we are enclose enough, and sufficiently like-minded, to make closure possible. But we shall have to do some more hard work, and close the remaining gaps.

The Conclusion

In a game of chess, there are 10 moves for an overture, 15 moves in the middle game and about 60 moves in the end game. To my mind, we are in the endgame after having dwelt, dealt and discussed and settled many of the numerous issues involved in Doha Development Round, but are certainly not not near the end game as assessed by our learned, but newly initiated Commerce Minister Anand Sharma while being near to Brazils External Affairs Minister Amortims assessment of being in the end game, which could even take very long to happen.

The views presented are author's personal views. Here 'I' refers to him