The Clinton administration has revised its rule for implementing the US law protecting turtles from shrimpers to satisfy an international trade challenge posed by four countries, including India and Pakistan.

At issue is a US law banning imports of shrimp from countries whose shrimp-catching boats pose a risk to endangered sea turtles and do not require their shrimpers to employ turtle excluder devices (TEDs). The revision followed a ruling by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) appellate body in October stating that, while the US law did conform to WTO obligations, certain aspects of its implementation did not. The WTO ruling was in response to a complaint brought by India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand.

The revision, however, would not satisfy a lawsuit brought by an environmental group in a US federal court against the way the law is implemented.

In March, the State Department issued preliminary guidelines on revising implementationprocedure intended to satisfy the WTO ruling. After a period for public comment, the department issued its revised guidelines in a Federal Register notice.

According to a State Department official, the revised guidelines make some procedural but no substantive changes to those issued in March.

Most importantly, the department left intact, at least for now, an exception allowing shrimp imports, shipment by shipment, from uncertified countries -- those lacking a comprehensive TEDs programme. Each shipment must have certification from the foreign government that the catch was made by shrimpers employing TEDs.

WTO agreement a mistake: Prabhu

India was misled into signing the present agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), commerce secretary P P Prabhu said recently at a roundtable meeting on trade policy in London.

"We are now wiser," Prabhu said, "and able to appreciate and evaluate the pluses and minuses more realistically."

Prabhu's remarks were a clear signal that India will not beeasily convinced about the new round of agreements to be negotiated in Seattle, the United States, later this year.

India wants implementation of what has been undertaken and correction of the "imbalances and inequities within the system," Prabhu said. The intention of the developed world "appears to be to cast more and more obligations on the developing world and that too in new areas of domestic policy and in fields even unrelated to trade," he added.

EU attempt at labour linkage could threaten South Asia

A European Union (EU) plan to create a linkage between basic labour standards and liberalisation of global trade could pose problems for countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka where child labour persists.

The EU plan has angered many Asian countries whose trade unions interpret the proposal as a basis for challenging their governments and employers while creating labour unrest. Most Asian nations see this as yet another "protectionist" measure.

A paper adopted by theEuropean Commission (EC) purports to call for a "positive" contribution by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in enforcing what it describes as basic labour standards. The EU claims to be seeking more rights to workers in some Asian countries, including the right to form trade unions and resort to work stoppage as well as engage in collective bargaining with their respective governments and employers. Analysts say the move is being considered because liberalisation of general labour laws will ruin the competitive edge currently enjoyed by some Asian countries, which rely on low labour costs and have a high level of productivity.

The EU's move could particularly hit India's carpet industry which depends heavily on child labour. According to experts, children's nimble fingers are considered ideal for weaving intricate carpet patterns. The industry, criticised severely in the past by Europeans for exploiting children, says it has improved working conditions for children. However, many Europeans feel Indiahas not done enough and the issue has therefore been raked up once again in the EU headquarters.