India, US At Loggerheads Over WTO Reform At Abu Dhabi Talks

Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala addresses delegates during a session on fisheries subsidies during the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi of February 26, 2024. The world's trade ministers gathered in the UAE on February 26 for a high-level WTO meeting with no clear prospects for breakthroughs, amid geopolitical tensions and disagreements. (Credit: AFP)

A US-led push to reform the World Trade Organization's embattled dispute settlement system sparked divisions at a WTO meeting Wednesday, with India accusing Washington of bringing the trade body to a "standstill".

A working session on dispute settlement reform was held on the third day of the WTO's 13th ministerial meeting (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, where little progress is expected on the issue amid major disagreements.