WTO: 2006 NEWS ITEMS
27-28 July 2006
GENERAL COUNCIL:
SUMMARY
General Council supports suspension of trade talks, Task Force submits 揂id for Trade?recommendations
The General Council, at its meeting on 27-28 July 2006, supported a recommendation by Director-General Pascal Lamy to suspend the Doha negotiations. The Task Force on Aid for Trade submitted its report and recommendations aimed at helping developing countries increase exports of goods and services.
>
Report by the Chairman of the Trade Negotiations Committee
>
More on the
General Council meeting of 27-28 July 2006
> Aid
for Trade
> General
Council
> Negotiations, implementation and development: the Doha agenda
> The Doha Declaration explained
> The Implementation Decision explained
> How the negotiations are organized
> The
Trade Negotiations Committee
SEE ALSO:
> Press
releases
> News
archives
> Pascal
Lamy抯 speeches
The Director-General, as chairman of the Trade Negotiations Committee,
reported on his consultations to facilitate and catalyze an agreement
among Members. In his report,
he said that there were no significant changes in the negotiators
positions and the gaps remained too wide. Faced with this situation, the
Director-General recommended that the only course of action available
was to suspend the negotiations across the Round as a whole to enable
the serious reflection by participants which was clearly necessary.
In their statements, members agreed with this assessment and endorsed
the Director-General's recommendation. There were expressions of
profound regret, disappointment and frustration for the lack of progress
in the negotiations. They agreed that a time of reflection was needed
but they also expressed the hope that this 搕ime-out?would be temporary
and short since there was a need to put the negotiations back on track
as soon as possible. They also said that we should preserve the
achievements of the negotiation so far and build upon them rather than
unravel them. There was a general agreement on the need not to modify
the mandate or split it allowing for selective progress.
The General Council also heard a report on the work undertaken by the
Task Force on Aid For Trade created at the Hong Kong Ministerial
Declaration as a way to contribute to the development dimension of the
Doha Development Agenda. Ambassador Horn Af Rantzien (Sweden),
chairperson of the Task Force, made a statement in which she said that
the Task Force had now concluded its work and reached consensus on the
recommendations.
She said that there was clear consensus in the Task Force that Aid For
Trade is important in its own right, and it should move forward
expeditiously despite the current difficulties in the Round. At the same
time, members were equally clear that Aid For Trade is not梐nd cannot
be梐 substitute for the development benefits that will flow from a
successful Doha Round.
Members acknowledged the importance of Aid For Trade as a tool to help
developing countries integrate fuller into the multilateral trading
system and to provide them with increased trade opportunities as a way
to enhance growth prospects and reduce poverty. They said Aid For Trade
is an important element in the Doha Development Agenda, and hoped for an
early implementation of the recommendations of the Task Force. Some also
noted that the report provided a good blue print on how to
operationalize its recommendations.
Since the report was only issued on Thursday and members needed adequate
time to review it before considering the appropriate course of action,
the General Council agreed to revert to this matter at the next meeting
(scheduled for October) to consider the follow up to the report and its
recommendations.