WTO: 2013 NEWS ITEMS

GENERAL COUNCIL

> Summary of the General Council meeting


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Report by the Chairman of the Trade Negotiations Committee

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

Let me join the General Council Chair in welcoming our new DDGs — Fred Agah, Karl Brauner, Dave Shark and Xiaozhun Yi.  These are not only distinguished trade negotiators, but they are also well known to you.  I have already announced their areas of responsibilities and they have hit the ground running.  Indeed, Fred is not here today, as I asked him to attend the ACP Ministerial meeting in Brussels — which unfortunately I myself am unable to attend because of this General Council meeting. 

I am not intending to deliver a long statement today.  I think you know the situation — we are approaching the moment of truth in our preparations for Bali.  Since the General Council on 9 September, the TNC has held one formal meeting on September 23rd and an informal meeting on September 30th. 

I would ask that those statements, which clearly set out the work, we have been doing — and which have been made available to delegations in documents JOB/TNC/21 and 22 respectively — to be placed on the record of this meeting. 

Overall, the discussions have been focused, precise and business-like.  Delegations have been talking to one another in ways that we have not seen for a number of years.  Trust has been growing, compromises suggested and flexibility is being shown.   Clearly, the tenor to our negotiations has improved and I can say that delegations are in a solution finding mode.  But, despite this suitable ambiance, the reality is that the pace of substantive advancement is still far too slow for our Bali target.  Significant challenges remain to close gaps on a number of important issues. 

At our meeting on September 23rd, I told Members that we must aim to conclude the main part of our negotiations in Geneva by the end of this month.  That is why last week I cautioned delegations that, if we keep the current pace, we could miss our end of October goal to have all landing zones clearly identified.  Therefore, more intensified engagement with required flexibility and urgency are needed. 

Many of the issues where convergence is either very slow or non-existent are political.  You all know that at this late stage, what we urgently need are fresh instructions from Ministers, and instructions of the kind that move us towards convergence.  This is why last Monday I sent a letter to all Ministers to emphasize the need for their immediate, personal and active engagement — I have already had a positive response to this letter from a number of Ministers. 

In recent days, I have been continuing my outreach to Ministers. Last weekend I attended the 25th APEC Ministerial Meeting in Bali.  I would like to thank the Government of Indonesia for the excellent arrangements put in place, which indeed augur well for our own meeting in December.  On my way back from Bali I also had the opportunity to stop-over in New Delhi for discussions with Indian Minister of Commerce Anand Sharma.  These meetings provided a useful and timely opportunity to gauge the level of support and concern for our MC9 prospects.  I must say I was deeply encouraged by the strong commitment from these Ministers to a successful Bali outcome.  They understand what is at stake. 

Furthermore, there was strong resolve by Ministers to instruct their negotiators to deliver an outcome within the timeframe I have set out, that is, in a matter of 3 weeks.  It is clear that Ministers remain firmly committed to preserve the credibility of the multilateral trading system and its negotiating arm.  I was also encouraged to hear the reaffirmation from Ministers that they continue to place development at the heart of the negotiations. They also continue to attach utmost importance to delivering convincing outcomes for LDCs. 

In this final phase of our work, I will continue to reach out to as many Ministers as necessary to call for their urgent personal and direct engagement and support. 

My outreach will also involve other international institutions.  Indeed I will be travelling to Washington this weekend for the World Bank/IMF annual meeting for further discussions on Bali preparations.  I will also be looking forward to hearing Fred’s report on the ACP Trade Ministers’ meeting upon his return tomorrow. 

Since our last informal TNC on September 23rd, the three Chairs, LDC Facilitator and Friends of the TF Chair have been operating on a continuous basis to deepen and extend convergence and rapidly close gaps in the limited time remaining.  I hope that delegations have received from capitals the much-needed additional flexibility to genuinely look for convergence in all three areas.  I will ask the Chairs to report on their recent consultations at next Monday’s TNC meeting. 

I will also set out our next steps.  Let me be clear, from next Monday we will be entering the final stages of our Bali preparatory process — the moment of truth will have arrived.  I would strongly urge you to engage in intensive consultations with your capitals to ensure you are in a genuine solution-finding mode. I would also suggest that you start to clear out your diaries of evening and weekend engagements for the upcoming period so that you are able to devote maximum time and energy to securing the consensus we need.  I may be calling you unexpectedly and in short notice — alone or with others — depending on the hurdle we need to overcome. Starting next Monday, every hour is a working hour and every day is a working day.

Prospects for Bali are now in your hands.  I will facilitate and consult where I can, but you hold the pen to write not only the outcome of Bali, but also, more importantly, the future of the DDA and the WTO’s negotiating function.

This concludes my statement.  Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

 

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