Use the links below to download audio files or to listen to what he said in the meeting. Explanations and transcripts are below:

10 March 2008 meeting

Audio: Chairperson Crawford Falconer’s opening statement

Audio: Chairperson Crawford Falconer’s concluding comments

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14 March 2008 meeting

Audio: Chairperson Crawford Falconer’s opening statement

Audio: Chairperson Crawford Falconer’s concluding comments

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The 10 and 14 March 2008 meetings

These were informal agriculture negotiations meetings of the full membership, officially “Informal Open-Ended Special Sessions” of the Agriculture Committee, part of what Ambassador Falconer calls the “multilateral process”.

The 10 March meeting was held to assess progress in consultations in the previous week and to decide what to do next. Members asked for more time to see what develops, and the chairperson reconvened the meeting on 14 March to hear their comments.

The chairperson refers to a number of issues that are explained here, including what “the text” is and says, and a “jargon buster”. He refers in particular to two issues. One is the on-going work of “data providers” and exporting countries on domestic consumption to be used as a basis for expanding tariff quotas on sensitive products. Another is “Room E”, also part of the “multilateral process”. Ultimately, the current phase of the negotiations is about “modalities”, explained here.   

  

Transcripts

10 March 2008 meeting

> Chairperson Crawford Falconer’s opening statement and concluding comments

14 March 2008 meeting

> Chairperson Crawford Falconer’s opening statement and concluding comments