|
He said these two documents have improved the chances for agreement
among Ministers when they meet at the WTO's 4th Ministerial Conference
in Doha, Qatar from 9-13 November.
The
two documents, a 7-page draft Ministerial Declaration and an 11-page
list of implementation proposals for adoption by governments, form the
framework for negotiations among member governments through the
Ministerial Conference. The draft Ministerial Declaration proposes
expanded negotiations and additional work in some areas of WTO
activity while the implementation text recommends measures to better
meet the concerns of developing countries.
“These
documents are the product of hundreds of hours of work by Chairman
Harbinson and our team. I salute their efforts. These texts represent
a good faith effort to bridge gaps that have existed for years and
they are a sound basis for moving forward. I urge governments to
engage constructively in their negotiations in the coming weeks so
that we may find solutions to the problems facing the WTO, the
multilateral trading system and the global economy. The development
dimensions of trade are correctly at the center of our considerations
as they should be, but there is more work to be done,” Mr. Moore
said.
Mr.
Moore said the consultation process which led to the formulation of
these texts had been inclusive and transparent. He said the atmosphere
in Geneva was positive and that delegations were prepared to work hard
to find consensus.
“I
am under no illusions as to the difficulty we will face in finding
agreement. But I have seen in recent days a spirit of co-operation and
a realization of the importance of the task ahead. I am confident that
with hard work and political will, we can reach consensus. We need to
ensure that when Ministers assemble in Doha we have just a few areas
of substantial difference between them. We need to reach agreement
through our Geneva process on as many issues as possible, otherwise
the situation in Doha could become more difficult. However, following
my conversations with Ministers and ambassadors I am encouraged that
our meeting will be a success.”
|
