Cancun: Unbundling of Singapore Issues cleared
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has authorised India's negotiating team at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to agree to the 'unbundling' of Singapore Issues. This is believed to be a fallback option if other developing countries agree to bring some of the subjects on board at Cancun, reports suggest. If negotiators fail to restrict the discussion on the Singapore Issues to a mere 'clarification', as India would prefer, they have been permitted to be 'flexible' on two of the four issues — trade facilitation and transparency in government procurement. The other two issues are a multilateral agreement on investment and competition policy.

The Cabinet has, nevertheless, opposed any agreement on investment, while it has signalled that even on competition policy there can be some willingness to discuss the issue. Much will depend on the extent of developing country support available to India. The approval, it seems, is tied to the extent of support available on India's stated position. But on investment, India has drawn a firm bottomline; rather than accept a multilateral agreement on par with other WTO agreements, India will advocate a 'plurilateral' agreement with 'opt-in or opt-out' clauses, which do not bind all WTO members. This will enable some to join the negotiations, leaving others out
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