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117Uncorrected/ Not for publication- 08.12.2009agriculture produce there is, as was said, a level playing field and theinterests of the vulnerable economies, the developing countries are fullyprotected. It is meant, therefore, to correct the distortion andimbalance. Therefore, the Doha Round has special significance. Thedeveloping and the poor countries have much to gain from thesuccessful conclusion of the Doha Round. I am afraid to say that theywill have the most to lose if this round does not lead to a rule-basedmultilateral trade regime which addresses the legitimate concerns andaspirations of the developing countries.Sir, last year, as I mentioned in my statement, there was a Mini-Ministerial in July, 2008 which did not lead to convergence of views onsome of the critical issues which were of import to the developingcountries including India. These negotiations did not proceed and, if Imay use the word, hit a roadblock. In the global parlance many wordshave been used. Since I assumed this responsibility, the talks werepaused and the talks had stalled. The fact is, there was a roadblock.At the same time, there was an increasing demand and urging by theleadership of the developing countries and the poor countries that thisRound should be safe, efforts should be made to revive and to take it toa successful conclusion. Sir, it was in June itself. Those were earlydays for me. I was trying to go up a steep learning curve, not familiarwith the details at that time but more familiar with the broad rules andprinciples. There was a meeting of the Cairns Group in Bali in Indonesiawhere there was talk of new processes which virtually meant to start allover again. That was being, this theory was being marketed orpropounded by the developed countries, those who did not have the