the only semblance of fairness that exists in the various agreements of the World Trade Organization (wto) is contained in their 155 "special and differential treatment' provisions. These are meant to benefit developing countries exclusively by giving them preferential access to developed country markets on suitable terms, and allowing deviations from their own obligations. But couched in non-mandatory language, several such clauses are unenforceable. Highlighting this anomaly, India's Union minister of commerce and industry, Arun Jaitley, recently pointed out that resolving the issue of reassessing these provisions "would be a sine qua non (indispensable condition) for the success of the next wto ministerial conference (in Cancun)'.

To be sure, a decision to review these provisions to make them more "precise, effective and operational' was taken at the instance of developing countries during the 2001 Doha ministerial meet. But the victory seems illusive a year-and-a-half later due to the divergence between rival camps. Three deadlines have been missed to date