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Media Release
Australian Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile
12 October 2001 / MVT143/2001
Vaile to Attend Singapore WTO Meeting This Weekend
Trade Minister Mark Vaile announced today that he would attend a meeting of key World Trade Organisation Ministers in Singapore this weekend (13-14 October) to discuss final preparations for the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, on 9-13 November.
"The Singapore meeting, comprising 20 major WTO members is vitally important as we move into the final stages of preparations for the Doha meeting," Mr Vaile said.
"Australia's invitation to the Singapore meeting is recognition of the Government's strong commitment to pursuing Australia's interests in the international trade arena.
"Australia will continue to push strongly for the launch of a new round, as well as calling for all WTO members to show the necessary flexibility to maximise the prospects for agreement at Doha.
"I have been encouraged by progress in recent weeks, but a number of areas of disagreement remain which we will need to discuss in Singapore. Key areas for Australia will be the treatment of agriculture and other market-access priorities like services and industrials, as well as ensuring that other issues like the approach to environment, investment and competition also reflect Australian interests.
"Agriculture remains of central importance to Australia reflecting the vital need for the Doha meeting to agree to a substantive mandate for fundamental reform of international agricultural trade. Together with my Cairns Group counterparts, I will be making clear that agriculture must be central to any outcome at Doha, a position that is in fact shared by the vast majority of WTO members."
Mr Vaile said the Government would continue to stay in close contact with the Australian public in the lead up to the Doha meeting.
"On 5 October I issued an Australian position paper developed following extensive consultations with state governments, industry and community groups. I have also invited members of the WTO Advisory Group, including industry and NGO representatives, to join the official Australian delegation to the Doha meeting," Mr Vaile said.
Countries participating in the Singapore meeting are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the EU, Gabon, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania and the United States.
Contact: James Baker (Ministerial) 02 6277 7420
Local Date: Friday, 05-Dec-2008 14:06:05 EST