MEETING OF THE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE - JULY 21,

UNCLAS GENEVA 001778

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD WTRO USTR
SUBJECT: MEETING OF THE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE - JULY 21,
2005


1. The Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) met on the morning of
July 21, 2005 to hear statements from Director-General Supachai
on the overall state of play of the Doha Development Agenda and
in ongoing consultations over implementation. Supachai suspended
the TNC after the statement, saying it was important to give
Members more time work on substance, rather than to make
statements. He said the TNC would reconvene before, and at the
latest immediately before, the meeting of the General Council
scheduled for Friday, July 29.

Status Report on the Doha Development Agenda


2. Supachai reminded Members of his prior warnings, including
his reference at the last TNC that his finger was hovering over
the alarm button. Now it is time to push it, Supachai said - the
crisis of immobility is deepening, and there is a continuing
failure to turn political support into progress in the
negotiations. Referring to the informal gathering in Dalian,
Supachai said there is political willingness to find common
ground, but few answers are forthcoming. But it is not too late,
he stressed, for some advances to occur on key issues by the end
of next week:

-In the agriculture negotiations, Supachai highlighted the
need to work on structure, particularly in the area of
market access,
-In NAMA, the chair wants agreement on the shape of the
formula by the end of July; there have been useful ideas to
bridge gaps, including by Pakistan, but the link with
agriculture is a brake on progress, and

-In development, there have been intensive consultations but
differences remain, and he urged participants to show more
flexibility.


3. Overall, there has been little substantive progress in key
areas, Supachai said, and that means there will be a lot of work
to do in the autumn. All leaders seem committed to drive the
negotiations forward to completion by 2006, he said, and there is
no time to be lost. He reiterated his message from the HODS that
MC6 is not far away and there needs to be a balanced package in
sight by then if the DDA is to finish in 2006.

Consultative Process on Implementation


4. Supachai also provided a report on ongoing implementation
consultations, noting a lack of convergence on the two tracks,
the GI extension issue and the other outstanding implementation
issues related to TRIPS, BOP, market access, TRIMS, Customs
Valuation, Safeguards, and TBT. Supachai concluded by saying he
would recommend that his successor continue the consultative
process after the summer break.


5. Following his remarks, Ambassador Georgiev of Bulgaria took
the floor to charge that the chair swept the GI extension issue
under the carpet by saying there were continuing disagreements
among Members over the relation of the GI extension issue with
the Doha mandate. Georgiev argued that the mandate is clear in
letter and in spirit and he alleged that some Members are not
negotiating in good faith because they are not negotiating. He
added that if there is a failure this month, one reason for it
will be that the the July 2005 date for appropriate action had
been missed. Supachai rejected these assertions. He insu=isted
that no one was sweeping anything under the rug. There is simply
a disagreement among Members, a situation that is hardly unique
to GIs.

Reports by Chairs


6. None of the chairs made substantive reports, but Faizel
Ismail, chair of the ongoing work on S&D, took the floor briefly
to say he would make a statement on development when the TNC
resumes and he hoped to be in a position to report progress
by Tuesday. Shark