NAIROBI: Even before formal talks begin at the WTO ’s ministerial in Nairobi from December 15, India has told the organisation’s Director General that public stockholding for food security and the peace clause are two issues that it will not use as bargaining chips for anything in return.Officials said in a meeting with WTO DG Roberto Azevedo on Monday, Indian commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India will not bargain on these two issues as they have already been agreed upon in the previous ministerial in Bali in 2013. "Food security and peace clause are not being bargained. There is no return business with these two,’’ the official said. However, the minister was keen on knowing what was happening on the Special Safeguards Mechanism (SSM) front as that is the only way that India can protect against surges in imports or fall in prices because bound rates (the listed tariffs) are not effective. In such cases, developing countries find it difficult to invoke countervailing duties due to lack of adequate information.Sitharaman is said to have told the DG that India’s doesn’t need to link SSM with any other element during the talks which are to be held from December 15-18.Azevedo, sources said, understood India’s position and was keen on more interactions with India. They said that despite the developed countries’ attempts to get new issues like e-commerce, global value chains, labour and environment related issues, there was no discussion between the two leaders and it was the Indian minister who asked if all efforts at various levels were moving towards getting a ministerial declaration.In fact, the minister had reiterated India’s stance on SSM in the G-33 meeting earlier in the day when she said, ‘’There can be no better tribute to this ministerial, taking place in Africa for the first time, than to have a successful outcome on SSM and public stockholding for food security, which are critical for several developing countries including those in Africa.’’"We have been receptive to the views of other members and have done our best to accommodate them for the sake of a positive outcome in Nairobi. The same spirit has been sadly missing in the positions of some other members,’’ she said.The G-33 countries are on the same page as India as they talked of continuing the Doha Development Agenda and pushed for an SSM, as this instrument has been available to a select few for over two decades.‘’This demand by the G-33 is reasonable and pragmatic,’’ Sitharaman had stated.India has been pushing for the continuation of the Doha round because developing countries feel that the development agenda on agricultural issues, cotton subsidies and LDCs have not been completely addressed. Almost a hundred other countries want such issues to be addressed and are opposed to the closure of this round.Brazil has asked for increased market access from India if the latter wants support for the Special Safeguards Mechanism that India has been pushing for. Officials said that in a bilateral meeting with commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Brazilian minister for external relations, Ambassador Vieira is said to have mentioned family run agriculture in the country and hence, they are concerned about the issue. He said SSM is critical because many agricultural exports have high risk s associated with falling prices. "It is a case of subsistence versus commercial agriculture for the,’’ said an official. This assumes importance as the G-33 proposal for an outcome on SSM has faced opposition from the US, the EU, Australia and Brazil, among others, in the last two years.