It’s not exactly liveblogging, but Peter Mandelson is posting daily updates from Geneva. It’s a bit informal and potentially interesting:
Word gets around that the Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath has arrived in Geneva fresh from the successful vote of confidence in the Indian Parliament that confirmed the Singh government. True to form, Nath immediately takes the opportunity to set out his stall in the morning Trade Negotiating Committee meeting. Nath goes straight on the attack; criticising the US’ offer to reduce farm subsidies and dismissing the idea of an Anti-Concentration Clause in industrial goods negotiations. Nath is playing to the gallery, and he is wrong when he suggests that such a clause would claw back many of the additional flexibilities that developing countries have fought to hard to include in the Doha package as a way of sheltering growing industry or protecting sensitive sectors.
Mandelson also says that “we are potentially closer than we have ever been to a deal.” Sadly, the European Commission hasn’t included a comments section on its website.