TURKISH RESPONSE ON TRIPS MORATORIUM

UNCLAS ANKARA 001040 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD KIPR TU USTR SUBJECT: TURKISH RESPONSE ON TRIPS MORATORIUM REF: A. 02 STATE 265619 ¶B. STATE 26895 ¶1. Econoff delivered ref B demarche to MFA and the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat. Oya Karakas, MFA Head of Department for Multilateral Economic Affairs, provided us with the following response to Ambassador Zoellick's December letter urging other countries to join the TRIPS Moratorium on February 7. In his letter, MFA Yasar Yakis supports our decision to declare a moratorium, but does not specify whether Turkey will join it. Karakas told us the GOT supported the effort to reach a multilateral consensus on this issue, but that Turkey had not taken a decision to join the USG in declaring a moratorium. The text of the letter is reproduced below: Begin text: Ankara, 30 January 2003 Your Excellency, With reference to your letter of 31 December 2002, concerning the TRIPS Agreement and public health, I would like to express my appreciation for your and your government's efforts to find a solution to this issue affecting some developing and least-developed countries facing a serious public health crisis. As we have previously expressed on various occasions and particularly during the discussions at the WTO, we attach utmost importance to this issue. In our view, public health requires a particular attention and it has a certain priority among other issues being discussed. It is our very sincere wish to find a solution to fulfil the mandate of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. Hence, we are disappointed with the lack of progress at the WTO. Nevertheless, we continue to look into the future with a view to achieving consensus on this issue. In this context, we welcome the decision of the United States to declare a moratorium, while the negotiations are under way. In this connection, I appreciate your assurance that you will continue to work with other members towards achieving consensus. For my part, I would like to assure you that your proposal and the points you have mentioned in your letter, will receive my Government's due consideration and we will continue to cooperate with you on this issue. Yours sincerely, Yasar Yakis Minister of Foreign Affairs End text. ¶2. We also confirmed that Turkey's Ambassador to the WTO reports to the MFA, not to the Turkish Foreign Trade Undersecretariat or the State Minister for Foreign Trade. PEARSON