General Council – Preparations for the 1999 Ministerial Conference – Elements of the Ministerial Declaration – Communication from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan
RESTRICTED
WT/GC/W/326 22 September 1999
(99-3896)
Original:English
The following communication, dated 20 September 1999, has been received from the Permanent Mission of Pakistan.
A. Preamble/opening general paragraphs
- Importance of multilateral trading system.
- Brief collective assessment of the global economy (mixed picture – growth, disparities).
- Recall paragraphs 8, 9 and 10 of the Geneva Ministerial Declaration.
- Assessment of implementation in accordance with paragraph 8.
- Decisions relating to implementation issues to be taken at Seattle, inter alia on:
- TRIPS;
- TRIMs;
- Agriculture including NFIDCs;
- Accelerated integration of textiles;
- Clarification/strengthening of disciplines on anti-dumping, subsidies, rules of origin, SPS, TBT;
- Customs valuation;
- Implementation of recommendations of completed reviews.
- Further work on implementation:
- Issues to be covered (any which remain from the above, and others such as strengthening of, and operationalization of best endeavour S&D provisions);
- To address implementation issues which may remain outstanding, a special mechanism should be established with a mandate to complete its work within one year.
- Agriculture: objective and mandate of the negotiations including scope and time-frame.
- Services: mandate of the negotiations including scope, objectives, and time-frame; due account of the assessment of the commitments in trade in services as stipulated for in Article XIX of GATS.
- Reviews: TRIMs, TRIPS, SPS, TBT, SCM, etc.
- Trade and investment;
- Trade and competition;
- Trade facilitation;
- Transparency in government procurement.
- Access to technology;
- Trade and finance;
- Relationship of trade with debt, commodity price (terms of trade).
- Scope;
- Structure;
- Time-frame.
B. Implementation
C. Mandated negotiations and reviews
D. Follow up to High-Level Meeting on LDCs
E. Continuation of the study process on issues initiated at Singapore
F. New initiatives aimed at liberalizing world trade and adapting the multilateral trading system so as to enhance its support of the development process
G. Accession, participation of acceding countries
H. Organization of work