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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Auckland, New Zealand)
For Immediate Release September 12, 1999
The World Trade Organization Ministerial in Seattle
Today, the President called upon the leaders of the
Pacific Rim economies at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit in New Zealand to endorse his agenda for the Third Ministerial
Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), to be held in
Seattle, Washington this November. The WTO Ministerial is expected
to launch a new round of global trade negotiations and provide the
United States the opportunity to shape the international trade agenda
well into the 21st century.
The President urges WTO members to advance the following
agenda at the Seattle Ministerial:
- Launch a new round with a broad-based market access agenda (services,
agriculture, and industrial tariffs);
- Set a forward work program to include trade and labor;
- Achieve a set of deliverables at Seattle for business;
- Focus on implementation of existing commitments and continued
integration of countries into the WTO; and
- Undertake institutional improvements to make the WTO a more transparent
organization.
Launching a New Global Trade Round
The United States seeks a broad-based yet manageable
Round that focuses on market access in agriculture, services and
industrial goods, and lasts no longer than three years. Friday,
APEC Ministers lent their support to a three-year Round. Additionally,
Ministers agreed to pursue the abolition of agricultural export
subsidies, another key U.S. goal for the Round. The United States
also seeks agreement on forward work program in labor within the
WTO.
Achieving Early Results
The United States seeks early agreement on the following
WTO Ministerial deliverables:
Government Procurement Transparency Agreement. The
President seeks agreement on publication of government procurement
opportunities and procedures among WTO economies. Transparency in
government procurement helps prevent corruption.
Accelerated Tariff Liberalization (ATL) Agreement.
The President seeks agreement on phasing-out tariffs in eight product
areas: forest products; fish and fish products; toys; gems and jewelry;
chemicals; and medical equipment; environmental goods; and energy
equipment.
Extension of the Prohibition on E-Commerce Duties.
In 1998, WTO Ministers agreed to a temporary prohibition on duties
on electronic commerce. The United States seeks a permanent extension
of the prohibition to ensure continue growth of the high-technology
sector.
Improving WTO Institutional Transparency and Accountability
The President highlighted the need to make the WTO
more transparent and more accountable during his State of the Union
Address this year. To achieve these goals, the United States seeks
a new policy on quicker de-restriction of WTO documents, and new
reforms on dispute settlement, including requiring parties to make
their briefs public, making panel reports public as soon as parties
receive them, requiring panels to accept amicus briefs from civil
society, and opening panel hearings to public.
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