---------- From: Bob Olsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 13:41:00 -0500 Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt dissatisfied with WTO General Council, Dec 15-16, 2000 From: "BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest Vol. 4, Number 48 Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest - Vol. 4, Number 48 19 December, 2000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.ictsd.org/html/weekly/inbrief.12-19-00.htm Table of Contents - Note To Subscribers - Delegates Laud 'Montpellier Spirit' At First ICCP Meeting For The Biosafety Protocol - WTO Hands Developing Countries 'Modest, Meagre Result' In Implementation - Ozone Talks Go Smoothly But Fall Short On Commitments - US Releases Final Guidelines For Environmental Review Of Trade Agreements - Delegates Tackle Heavy Workload At CITES Plants And Animals Committees - In Brief - WTO In Brief - Events & Resources ........................ snip ............................... WTO HANDS DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 'MODEST, MEAGRE RESULT' IN IMPLEMENTATION The final 2000 meeting of the WTO General Council Special Session on Implementation last week (15-16 December), produced little in ways of progress for developing country demands at the global trade body. In what WTO Director-General Mike Moore termed a "modest, meagre result," Members essentially re-confirmed what was decided by the General Council in May 2000: that the Council would continue to meet in Special Sessions to address the various issues and concerns of developing countries (see BRIDGES Weekly, 9-5-00, http://www.ictsd.org/html/weekly/story1.09-05-00.htm). These are outlined in paragraphs 21 and 22 of the 19 October 1999 Draft Ministerial Text (see http://www.ictsd.org/English/Declaration3.rtf), and cover areas such as fuller implementation of previous commitments in textiles, subsidies and antidumping, as well as concerns over not being able to meet obligations from prior negotiations such as the Uruguay Round. Some key developing country Members -- in particular Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt -- voiced dissatisfaction with the final decision emanating from the meeting, which deferred completion of the implementation process to "no later than the Fourth Session of the Ministerial Conference", expected in late 2001. Pakistan's ambassador to the WTO, Munir Akram, said that most of the developing countries' concerns had not been addressed and the results were "modest indeed". The glass was not just half empty, he said, there was "barely any water in it". The decision did not address some of the more contentious issues currently being sought for resolution by developing countries, such as textiles or antidumping, where developing countries have demanded changes to existing WTO agreements in order to secure or gain better access for their goods in developed countries. A package agreement on extending an implementation deadline for the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) for nine developing countries also continues to be held up, mostly by the US, which is resisting an across-the-board approach in favour of negotiating bilateral concessions (see BRIDGES Weekly, 21-11-00, http://www.ictsd.org/html/weekly/story4.21-11-00.htm). A decision has been postponed until early 2001, expected at the next meeting of the Goods Council on 2 February. Moore expressed frustration with the slow movement on implementation issues from Members' capitals. "What we're talking about is an engagement, making some progress and then moving on," he said following the meeting. "But in the end, if a capital, major or minor, feels it cannot show any more space on an issue, that is for a sovereign government to decide." Trade officials speculate that the slow progress could be due to negotiation strategy on the part of many delegations -- both developed and developing -- that remain reluctant to move on implementation outside of a broader context such as a new round of trade negotiations. "Some countries want to keep this [implementation] issue on the table as long as possible," said one trade source. "If all the concessions are granted now Members lose the ability to keep it as a bargaining chip in broader negotiations." Members failed to launch a new round last year in Seattle, when talks around the scope and content of a trade round were scuttled due to lingering disagreements among countries over a number of procedural and substantive issues. Some countries are pushing for a new round to be launched at the Fourth Ministerial next year, the venue of which remains a toss-up between Qatar, Chile, and Geneva. A WTO Secretariat compilation of all implementation demands is due out in January 2001. The paper will summarise all implementation proposals and requests -- including those under paragraphs 21 and 22 of the 199 Draft Ministerial Text -- submitted thus far. General Council Chair Kĺre Bryn indicated that he would continue to conduct informal consultations on the matter. One of the only concrete decisions taken at the Special Session was to include Honduras among the list of countries with a per capita gross national product of less than $US 1,000 which are granted exemptions under the WTO subsidies accord. Honduras was left out of the list by mistake. A reference to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) that called for the removal of administrative barriers impeding the implementation of Member commitments on the movement of natural persons was taken out of an earlier draft after the US delegation made its objection known to the Chair. "Developing countries express disappointment at WTO talks," AFP, 15 December 2000; "WTO deal on TRIMs put off until early next year as differences remain," WTO REPORTER, 18 December 2000; WTO's Moore cites 'modes progress' on addressing implementation concerns," WTO REPORTER, 18 December 2000; ICTSD Internal Files. ........................ snip ............................... You can get the complete newsletter at http://www.ictsd.org/html/weekly/inbrief.12-19-00.htm BRIDGES Weekly Trade News DigestŠ is published by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) with support from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). Researches at ICTSD include Nathalie Lhayani, Marie Chamay and Dara Edmonds; written by Judy Brienza (IATP) and edited by Hugo Cameron, [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Director is Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICTSD is an independent, not-for-profit organisation based at: 13, ch des Anémones, 1219 Geneva, Switzerland. Tel: (41- 22) 917- 8492; fax: (41-22) 917- 8093. Excerpts from BRIDGES Weekly Trade News DigestŠ may be used in other publications with appropriate citation. Comments and suggestions are welcomed and should be directed to the Editor or the Director. To subscribe to BRIDGES Weekly Trade News DigestŠ, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message type: subscribe bridges BRIDGES Weekly Trade News DigestŠ can also be found at the ICTSD web page: http://www.ictsd.org/html/newsdigest.htm and at the IATP web page: http://www.newsbulletin.org ............................................ Liberate democracy from corporate control Bob Olsen, Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED] ............................................
