India’s trade minister stated that new deals at a WTO ministerial meeting will only be finalized if the US stops blocking an agreement on the dispute settlement mechanism. Delegates at the 13th ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi are hoping for progress on issues like fisheries and agriculture, but Piyush Goyal emphasized that India will not finalize any agreements without progress on the appellate body. Goyal highlighted the importance of addressing past issues, particularly the appellate body, before moving on to new issues. The US has accused the appellate body of over-interpreting WTO rules and is pushing for a fair dispute settlement reform. Despite commitments made at the last ministerial conference, there has been little progress on the dispute settlement system, causing frustration. Goyal emphasized the need to fix this issue before any other decisions can be implemented.