Nov 9, 1990
URUGUAY ROUND: G-15 AGAINST LAST MINUTE PARTIAL DEAL BY IC’S.
GENEVA, NOVEMBER 8 (TWN)- Reinaldo Figueredo, the Foreign Minister of Venezuela said here Thursday that the Group of 15 was against a last-minute deal in the Uruguay Round by the major trading partners, in which the elements were not of importance to the smaller and medium-sized trading partners. After two days of consultations with representatives to GATT, the Steering Committee of the Summit Level Group for South-South Consultation and Cooperation (G-15), integrated by the Foreign Ministers of Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela, has issued a statement calling on the industrialised countries to respond to the substantial contributions already made by the developing countries. "We do not want a last minute decision in Brussels by the major trading partners which draws a deal that excludes the majority of the trading partners who do not have the leverage to get a last-minute decision that is favourable to their goals", the Venezuelan Foreign Minister said. Consultations during the next few days, amongst the developing countries and between them and the industrialised partners, would spell out the course of action that the G-15 would adopt. "Next week we will get a common assessment of the G-15 and other developing countries. We will then decide whether we meet at short notice or later this month, prior to Brussels", Figueredo pointed out. Such a meeting, he clarified, would be at the ministerial level and would include not only G-15 and other developing country representatives but also from among the industrialised countries. While maintaining that there were several courses of action open, he said some of them were so important that they will have to be "pondered heavily" by each of the G-15 Governments to arrive at a collective stand. The following is the text of the G-15 statement on the Uruguay Round: "With less than a month to the opening of the Ministerial Meeting in Brussels, we the members of the Group of 15, along with other developing countries, are witnessing a paralysis not of our making. The major trading countries, who pressed so insistently for these negotiations to take place, now seem incapable of taking the necessary substantive and political decisions to push the negotiating process forward". "In virtually no area of negotiations, do we see progress being made. In agriculture, the delay by a major party in presenting a trade liberalisation offer has prevented negotiations from effectively starting. In textiles and clothing, the prospects are bleak and far from the agreed objectives. In services, proposals, which are being promoted, would void of substance any services framework agreement. In market access, certain of the industrial countries are coming forward with tariff offers that fall far short of the expectations of our countries". "In safeguards, there is a marked reluctance to take the one fundamental decision regarding non-selectivity as well as the elimination of the "grey-area" measures that would guarantee the integrity of the multilateral trading system. These are merely examples of a deepening malaise and crisis of indecision". "In the history of multilateral trade negotiations, developing countries have often been accused of demanding something for nothing. The partiality and basic illegitimacy of these kinds of arguments have never been clearer than today. Developing countries have met the challenges of the Uruguay Round, sometimes at immediate costs to themselves. Despite reservations in a number of areas, we have been willing to contribute to solid, mutually beneficial results. Developing country contributions to the Uruguay Round far surpass anything that has been done before, and reflect the importance we attach to a substantial and credible outcome to the negotiations. Furthermore, a large and growing numbers of developing countries have already liberalised their trade without waiting for others to do so. Such measures must receive proper credit and recognition. The Uruguay Round results should reflect the negotiating mandate, including with respect to special and differential treatment". "We appeal to the major trading countries, that spent so much effort and political capital in promoting the most ambitious multilateral trade negotiations in history, now to take the responsibility that is theirs, and bring this endeavour to a successful conclusion. A successful outcome of the Uruguay Round cannot be assured without a sincere commitment by the leading players in the international trading system". "Indecision, and a failure to exercise political courage will clearly expose the lack of political leadership and commitment to negotiate in good faith for the successful conclusion of the negotiations. We are prepared to continue our negotiating efforts, but we also feel obliged to underline that we could not accept a last minute deal among the major trading partners presented to us as a final package". "We fervently hope that our appeal will be heard, and that we can all participate in constructive negotiations in the short time that remains in order to make the Uruguay Round a success, to be shared by the entire trading community". "Due to the importance we the members of the Group of 15 attach to these negotiations, we have decided to consult on a continuous basis as to their evolution and make a political assessment forthwith".