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The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang today (December 2) called on the 148 Members of the World Trade Organization to demonstrate the global vision and the individual courage needed to make a success the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Hong Kong later this month.
Addressing the last General Council meeting of the WTO in Geneva before the Hong Kong Ministerial from December 13-18, Mr Tsang assured Members that preparations for the conference were now complete.
He said that logistically, everything had been done to facilitate a successful meeting, that Hong Kong looked forward to welcoming all participants, and making their stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
He added, "What we cannot do is guarantee success; we cannot do your work for you. Success is something for which we have a collective responsibility.
"We are all fond of repeating that the WTO is a member-driven organisation; the agenda is member-driven; the process is member-driven; and so success must also by definition be member-driven."
Mr Tsang said Hong Kong was delighted to have been given the opportunity to host the conference.
"We hope that it will help move things forward, but a successful conclusion of this Round depends on you, the members, having the global vision and the individual courage necessary to drive determinedly through the Hong Kong Ministerial and onto the final stage."
"The world will be watching," Mr Tsang added.
He also outlined to Council members how he intended to run the Hong Kong Ministerial, and announced the names of six ministerial colleagues to help him facilitate negotiations in core areas.
The facilitators and their areas of negotiation are Humayun Khan of Pakistan, who will deal with Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA); Mukhisa Kituyi of Kenya, who will deal with Agriculture; and Clement Rohee of Guyana, who will deal with specific development-related issues. For Services, Rules and other issues, Hyun Chong Kim of Korea; Jonas Store of Norway and Ignacio Walker of Chile will serve as facilitators at large.
Mr Tsang said the Ministerial would not be just an occasion for stocktaking.
"We will be fully engaged in serious negotiations," he said. "We will aim to ratchet up the extent and quality of our convergence, and set the platform for the next stage of our preparation towards the conclusion of the (Doha) Round by the end of 2006."
Using an aeronautical metaphor, Mr Tsang said the aim was to emerge from the Hong Kong Ministerial refuelled, recharged and with an unambiguous flight plan for the final leg of the flight – the conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda by the end of next year.
Ends/Friday, December 2, 2005
Issued at HKT 19:30
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