UN General Assembly
1987

First, I must mention the new round of negotiations started in Uruguay last year within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Fulfilling the resolutions of the Punta del Este meeting, several working groups have been established and plans for negotiations have been approved. The parties are acting with a fitting sense of urgency and responsibility, and this justifies out optimism regarding the results to be obtained. The Uruguay round continues to deserve the full support of all its participants. Furthermore, it was comforting to note that at the recent Venice summit conference the Heads of State of the seven Western industrialized countries supported the objectives of trade liberalization and the strengthening of the multilateral trade system through the Uruguay round, and undertook to submit concrete negotiation proposals in the near future.