India extends veto to Latin American countries

After giving its unilateral veto to Brazil for the chairmanship of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Rules Negotiating Group, India has now extended its veto to any of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (Grulac).

Currently, there is a single multilateral negotiation under way at the WTO aimed at banning certain subsidies to the fishing sector and is chaired by former Mexican Ambassador Roberto Zapata, who has been called by the government back to his country.

Grulac had suggested the name of Brazilian ambassador Alexandre Parola for the presidency, but India, Brazil’s partner in BRICS, now vetoed the country on its own.

In response, WTO General Council President Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, Thailand’s ambassador, warned several countries that an immediate solution had to be found for the chairman of the rule group to allow fisheries negotiations to continue uninterrupted.

From then on, India has now maintained its vote to all Latin American countries but has not submitted the candidacy of Sri Lankan Ambassador Gothami Silva, as it had indicated, as there is no consensus in the Group of Asian Countries on its name.

Grulac kept the name of the Brazilian, who has the support of the Latin American, African, and developed countries.

According to experts, India’s unilateral veto is very rare at the WTO and must have occurred after Brazil accepted the US request to waive Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) in future trade agreements.

To remedy the situation, further consultations will take place in the coming days in Geneva.

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