This
has been a very useful meeting, particularly insofar as it has
reinforced our general desire to move the process forward on all
fronts without allowing specific subject-matters to lag behind. I am
particularly encouraged that in response to Deputy Prime Minister
Kudrin's call for urgency I now sense common agreement that we are in
a position to put in place an accelerated programme of work for the
first half of next year on the understanding that genuine efforts will
be made on all sides to engage quickly on the negotiating issues with
a view to finding solutions as quickly as possible in an orderly,
phased manner.
In
choosing our future methods of work, I suppose our central concern
should be to avoid duplication and wastage of time, the latter being
particularly important because of the increasing pressure on Members
due to the preparations for Cancun.
I
suppose our first step should be to start marking in our calendar the
periods during which we should gather in Geneva to work on Russia's
accession process. I think we all agree that it should be an ambitious
schedule. Looking at my calendar I would propose to reserve three
slots, each of about one week's duration, before Easter, that is the
middle of April.
My
proposal would be as follows:
- the
week starting 27th January;
- the
week starting on 3rd March; and
- the
week starting 7th April 2003.
Subsequently
we will decide on future scheduling in the light of the progress we
would make.
I
should also indicate that I see these gatherings as a mix of informal
and formal meetings of the Working Party together with a combination
of bilaterals and plurilaterals on specific issues, as well as my own
consultations with interested delegations to make progress on certain
subjects. I realize that what I am proposing is complex. I believe,
however, that it is difficult to avoid this because of the
inter-linkages and wide-varying trade interests involved. Our success
will depend entirely on whether we are all able to identify and
prepare for the specific issues to be taken up well in advance of each
working session. In addition we should also foresee that further
plurilateral meetings will continue to be held around the Working
Party sessions and other relevant WTO meetings. For instance, as we
have already discussed today, we should try to schedule further
plurilaterals on agriculture and SPS in conjunction with WTO meetings
on these related subjects.
Turning
now to what we should do next, I would just underline that the speedy
inflow of written inputs for examination, and hopefully, for agreement
is critical for allowing capitals to structure their negotiating teams
and experts, keeping in view manpower and time constraints. In this
spirit, I propose that for our January session and possibly that of
March, depending on our progress, we particularly focus on the
following issues in the draft Report:
- the
chapter on “Economy, economic policies and foreign trade”;
- the
chapter on “Framework for making and enforcing policies”;
- the
section on “Internal taxes on imports”;
- the
section on “Technical regulations and standards, including
measures taken at the border with respect to imports”;
- the
section on “Government procurement”;
- the
section on “Regulation of trade in transit”;
- the
chapter on “Free trade and customs union agreements”.
This
is of course an indicative list of issues which may be expanded or
changed flexibly in keeping with our needs.
To
prepare for this challenging process of work I will stress that the
examination of the new Russian material should be our central task in
January.
We
have heard from several delegations today that they have written
inputs with them in terms of specific points of clarification needed
to flesh-out the draft Report and drafting suggestions both of a
technical and substantial nature. I would suggest these inputs be
provided on a priority basis to the Secretariat for immediate
transmission to the Russian Federation in any case by the
first days of January. These contributions, as well as
points of concern or proposals that have emerged in Russia's bilateral
contacts should be the guidelines for the new inputs required from
Russia. This new material from Russia should be circulated in
consolidated form in a separate document at the latest by mid-January.
Progress
in this work and developments in the Chairman's informal
consultations, if any, will of course be regularly reported to
meetings of the Working Party during the week to ensure transparency
and continuity.
At
the conclusion of our January session we should convene at formal
level to take stock of progress in Russia's bilateral market access
negotiations as well as in the systemic issues of the Draft Report.
This concluding session should also establish the next steps in our
work.
In
order for our further process to function well, it is of particular
importance that Russia accelerates and completes the enactment of WTO-related
legislation, backed by a detailed description of the implementing
regulations in place or being envisaged. This is needed to provide the
factual information required from the Russian side to move to a
discussion of commitments and terms of entry, once we have established
the factual background.
I
cannot conclude this session without stressing that when we meet next,
we will also need to see substantial progress on Russia's bilateral
market access negotiations in goods, agriculture and services. Here,
it has been encouraging to hear that Russia will be making efforts to
conclude all their bilaterals by Spring next year. This will also be a
challenge for all of you — a task that would need to be tackled
urgently and with flexibility all around. |
