TELLING IT’S erstwhile partner the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) not to succumb to US pressure over the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks, the Communist Party-Marxist (CPM) on Monday said that developed countries led by USA will try to force an agreement inimical to the interests of the developing countries.

CPM said that the latest draft released by WTO on July 25 reflected glaring inequities in agriculture and Non-Agricultural Marketing Access (NAMA) draft. The party said that while the developed world has retained huge subsidies, it is the developing countries which will have to bear the brunt and be forced to undertake steep cuts in agricultural and industrial tariffs.

The party also termed the provisions for protecting the agriculture of developing countries through special safeguards as meaningless. It said that it’s provisions have been diluted so much that it has lost relevance.

It further alleged that the US is exerting pressure upon India to fall in line and facilitate the adoption of an iniquitous agreement. "The UPA government should not compromise India’s stand at the WTO talks in Geneva. Capitulation to US pressure would amount to another betrayal of national interest", it added.