Doorstop interview at the conclusion of the Informal Trade Ministers’ meeting in Davos, Switzerland
Subject: Doha Round.
Transcript - E&OE
31 January 2010
JOURNALIST: What was the main result of your discussions?
SIMON CREAN: Despite the frustration in terms of progress in the Round there is a real determination to continue to try and find the breakthroughs that will enable it to be concluded this year. There was the call in December for a stocktake to be undertaken in March. We had good discussion around a range of outstanding issues, direction to officials to try and narrow those gaps. But there is no question the political will exists to bring it to a conclusion and so the agreement by Ministers there to understand the importance, not just of officials continuing to go forward to narrow the gaps and to try and resolve some of the issues, but for a continuing Ministerial engagement. There is the realisation that the G20 is meeting in June, again in November. This is not just a decision of Trade Ministers that the round be concluded. World leaders have called for the conclusion of the Doha Round, and we are determined to discharge that responsibility.
JOURNALIST: So Minister, they have described the talks as stuck in the mud. What chance do you think there is of realistically concluding the round this year.
SIMON CREAN: Well I think they may have still talked about them being stuck in the mud before we went in. I am not too sure that coming out of the meeting that people would still be using that same term. I think that people were very encouraged by the commitment, the tone, the realism involved. That the task ahead is hard, but it is a recommitment to bring it to a conclusion.
JOURNALIST: You’d say today there was a recommitment. There was actually a palpable progress today?
SIMON CREAN: I’d say it was a very strong commitment from those present. I mean, there are 20 Ministers, so we don’t claim to be speaking for everyone, but if you think back to December, the full Ministerial meeting in Geneva. There, there was the very strong commitment to conclude the round, and the need to make an assessment in March through a stocktake mechanism about the prospects going forward. This has been the first opportunity at Ministerial level to put direction and substance into that stocktake. So, I mean, that’s only a month ago. There was a unanimous decision last December that we proceed to conclude the round in accordance with the G20 leaders’ call. Today was the first important step in the New Year to set the program and timetable in train.
JOURNALIST: So what is actually new today? The affirmation of commitments?
SIMON CREAN: No, I think the realisation that the stocktake is there. Last year, when all the talk was about survival, this year the talk is about jobs. Trade, and the stimulus it provides, can address that trade solution. Look at President Obama’s speech, where he talks about the objective of the doubling of exports. That can’t be done unless trade is liberalised. So, what we are trying to do, I suppose, as part of the exercise, is to rise to the challenge and connect the solution to that challenge through the trade agenda.
JOURNALIST: One last question on climate change, some people think that the WTO is running out of steam, just like, some argue, the Copenhagen talks are running out of steam. What would you say to that and also to the issues of green protectionism?
SIMON CREAN: Well, on the question of running out of steam: I reject that. I think that today was a reaffirmation of the commitment, and in fact that was more ‘fuelling of the boilers’ today. The generation of more steam and heat and progress. As for the protectionism argument: we have been constantly mindful in the WTO of the importance of solutions in the name of addressing environmental issues, and not themselves turning into new forms of protectionism. Now, we haven’t seen evidence of that yet, but we need to be mindful of it. Interestingly enough though, there was discussion today about, if you like, the opportunity that the trade negotiations might provide for moving forward on the environmental agenda, by looking at questions of trade liberalisation for environmental goods and services as part of the ...mitigation. Copenhagen talked about financing for climate mitigation, so aid for mitigation. We’re saying let’s combine that with trade for mitigation and adaptation.
JOURNALIST: Thanks very much.
SIMON CREAN: You’re welcome.
[END]
Media inquiries
- Mr Crean’s Office: (02) 6277 7420
- Departmental Media Liason: (02) 6261 1555