Media Release
14 September 2003 - MVT74/2003
Cancún - Farmers Denied a Win
Australia is disappointed that the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation in Cancun has not taken the next step in the important Doha round of global trade negotiations, Trade Minister Mark Vaile said today.
The Minister was speaking from Cancun, Mexico, where Ministers from the 148 members of the WTO had met to make critical decisions at the mid-way point in the Doha round.
" This meeting was supposed to be about securing real increases in market access for farmers, manufacturers and service providers from all members.
" This is the real meaning of the Doha Development agenda," Mr Vaile said. "The failure to secure progress in market access is a great disappointment that should be shared by all Members.
" The discussions in Cancun were deadlocked by disagreement on the so-called Singapore issues - trade and investment, trade and competition, transparency in government procurement, and trade facilitation. In the end, this deadlock precluded the possibility of negotiations on agriculture and industrial products at Cancun.
" This setback is doubly regrettable because Australia has worked hard and constructively to find a way forward and was looking for a major improvement here on market access. The text before us had some shortcomings that had to be remedied. But I think we could have done this. Certainly, the major players were all seriously engaged."
The agriculture text that had been scheduled to be considered by Ministers in the final hours of the Conference included commitments in domestic support, market access and export subsidies. It fell short of Australia's expectations. Australia was seeking further improvements to achieve real access increases, in both agriculture and manufactures.
" All WTO members must consider carefully the causes of this disappointing result," Mr Vaile said.
Mr Vaile noted that members had agreed at the end of the meeting on the need to reaffirm the Doha decisions and to recommit to achieving conclusion of the negotiations. "Australia will certainly be making the strongest contribution it can to this process in the coming months," he said.
Mr Vaile congratulated the Chair of the Conference, Mexican Foreign Minister, Luis Derbez, on his outstanding job and said that all participants were grateful for the warmth and hospitality of Mexico and its people.
Contact: Matthew Doman (in Mexico) + 52-998-842 3221