WORLD TRADE WT/MIN(96)/ST/125
12December 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-5305)
Original: French MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Singapore, 9-13December 1996
BURUNDI
Statement byH.E. Mr.Frédérk Nzabampema
Minister forTrade, Industry andTourism
Onbehalf oftheBurundi delegation andmyself, allow methepleasure ofexpressing ourdeep
gratitude totheGovernment andpeople ofSingapore forthewarm welcome andhospitality extended
toussince wearrived inthisbeautiful country.
Allow mealsotocongratulate theGovernment ofSingapore andtheSecretariat oftheWorld
Trade Organization ontheexcellent arrangements made forthisConference.
Wedonotdoubt thatthesplendid setting oftheRepublic ofSingapore, withitseconomic
dynamism, willnotfailtoinspire asuccessful outcome toourworkatthisFirstMinisterial Conference.
TheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization isoneofthegreatest
agreements onmultilateral cooperation oftheclose ofthetwentieth century. Itsimplementation will
leadtosubstantial growth ininternational trade, willgenerate newincome andwillcreate newjobs.
However, thisoptimistic assessment mustbetempered bythediffering economic features of
WTO Members. Developing Members, andabove allleastdeveloped country Members, willnotbenefit
greatly from theWTO Agreement.
Three factors arebehind thedisadvantaged situation oftheleastdeveloped countries.
Firstofall,doubts castattheendoftheUruguay Round arebeginning tomaterialize inthe
form oferosion ofexport trade preferences, higher prices forfoodandother essential imports and
thecosts ofimplementing theWTO Agreement.
Itisalsobecoming increasingly clearthat,despite improved andexpanded market access and
special anddifferential treatment, some developing countries, especially theleastdeveloped, will
experience difficulty inderiving fullbenefit fromtheWTO Agreement because follow-up action was
nottaken toincrease theirproduction andexport capacity.
Inthisregard, concerted action onthepartofdevelopment partners should betaken toincrease
official development assistance; tosubstantially reduce thecrushing burden ofthedebtstock anddebt
servicing oftheleastdeveloped countries andtoencourage amajor flowofforeign investment tothese
countries. Astoforeign investment, weareparticularly convinced oftheverypositive rolethatit
plays inacountry 'seconomic development and,inBurundi, wearemaking every effort toturnforeign
direct investment intoareality.
InthelifeoftheWTO Agreement, wehavenoted anumber ofpractices which haveprevented
some WTO Members fromparticipating fullyintheUruguay Round Agreements. Inthisregard, two
practices come tomind. First, concrete measures forfullandprompt application ofspecial andWT/MIN(96)/ST/125
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differential treatment havenotyetemerged. Wearereferring inparticular tothetechnical assistance
promised fortheimplementation ofobligations under theUruguay Round Agreements, totheadoption
offollow-up action onmarket access forexport products from theleastdeveloped countries, andso
on.
Second, decisions contrary tothespirit andtheletter oftheUruguay Round Agreements have
beentaken regarding myowncountry byneighbouring countries which arealsoWTO Members. These
decisions haveprevented Burundi fromturning theadvantages granted byitspartners togoodaccount.
Burundi, which Ihavethehonour andpleasure torepresent, iscurrently experiencing unfair
andillegal treatment under theterms oftheUruguay Round Agreements.
Indeed, following thewilful failure ofthethenpolitical leaders toguarantee peace andsecurity
forallcitizens andforeigners living inBurundi andtheirlosing theconfidence ofthepolitical parties
andcivilsociety which hadplaced them inoffice through aGovernment Convention, onthebasis of
thedenunciation ofthatConvention byalmost allitssignatories andintheabsence ofaconstitutional
mechanism allowing forthereplacement oftheHead ofState andGovernment, itwasdecided on
25July1996tochange theregime andbring topower Mr.Pierre Buyoya, amanwellknown forhaving
reconciled theBurundian people andreintroduced democracy toBurundi in1991.
Thepeople hadgiven thenewGovernment amandate tore-establish peace andsecurity, in
theshortest possible time, andquickly install ademocratic system adapted toBurundi. Intheinterim,
thepolitical parties andParliament, having become inoperative, hadbeensuspended attherequest
ofthepeople whoheldthem responsible fortheirmisfortunes.
After thechangeover which wasinreality arescue operation fortheBurundian nation, and
under thepretext thatthenewGovernment wasattempting tooverthrow democracy, theHeads ofStates
andGovernments oftheGreat Lakes Region meton31July1996 atArusha inTanzania anddecided
onatotalblockade ofBurundi. Since thatdate, allroutes ofentry andexit,byland, water, railand
air,havebeenclosed. Youcanwellimagine thatthedevastating consequences suchmeasures have
hadonallthepeople ofBurundi, oneoftheleastdeveloped andmost land-locked countries, and
especially theunderprivileged andthegroups affected bywar.
Theneighbouring countries haveimposed threeconditions forlifting theblockade: therenewal
ofauthorization forthepolitical parties tofunction, there-installation ofParliament andtheopening
ofnegotiations withthearmed groups. Despite theopposition oftheentire population, theseconditions
were metbytheBurundi Government, buttheblockade remains inforce.
After analysing thesituation withwhich itisfaced, theGovernment oftheRepublic ofBurundi
isconvinced thattheblockade isnullifying alldomestic political efforts aimed atrestoring peace and
isplainly violating allinternational agreements, particularly theMarrakesh Agreement Establishing
theWTO.
Theblockade ispreventing areturn topeace inBurundi because itrepresents thinly disguised
supportforthegroupsresponsibleforthegenocidebetweenOctoberandNovember1993andthekillings
which continue eventothisday.
These groups areanoffshoot ofthose recognized asresponsible forgenocide inthereport
byaninternational commission ofinquiry established bytheUnited Nations, which waspublished
bytheUNSecurity Council inAugust 1996.WT/MIN(96)/ST/125
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Theblockade violates theUruguay Round Agreements insofarassome Member States of
theWTO arenolonger recognizing thefreedom oftransit andtrade ofanother Member State.
Inimposing theblockade against Burundi, aWTO Member, theneighbouring countries, which
arealsoWTO Members, areguilty ofviolating Articles I,V,XIandXIIIofGATT 1994andtherelevant
Articles oftheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices (GATS).
Thecountries perpetrating these violations cannot claim tobeavailing themselves ofthe
provisions ofArticles XXandXXIofGATT 1994orArticles XIVandXIV(b) ofGATS because the
change ofgovernment inBurundi waspurely aninternal affair andaffects neither thesecurity ofthe
transit countries northatofBurundi 'sother trading partners.
Infact,thechange ofgovernment stopped theflood ofrefugees towards neighbouring countries
andatthesame timegavetherefugees hopeofreturning totheirnative country.
Finally, itmust beasked howBurundi 'scommercial freight could affect thesecurity ofthe
transit countries.
Theblockade imposed against Burundi isanegation ofthemultilateral trading system under
theUruguay Round Agreements because itsystematically violates therulesofinternational trade and
prevents aMember country oftheWTO fromachieving theobjectives ofthese Agreements, namely,
thegrowth oftrade, income andjobsand,ultimately, thesocial well-being oftheBurundian people.
Italsosetsadangerous precedent withregard toachieving abetter future forthetrading nations,
particularly theleastdeveloped andland-locked countries.
ThisiswhyBurundi asksallWTO Members todemand thattheMembers bordering Burundi
respect theircommitments under theWTO Agreements withregard tofreedom oftransit andfreedom
oftrade, inparticular, andtocondemn theblockade against Burundi asapractice which contravenes
therules anddisciplines oftheinternational trading system negotiated intheUruguay Round.
Theinternational community, ingeneral, andWTO Members, inparticular, should notstand
witharmsfolded while unemployment, famine, disease anddeath areplaguing themorethansixmillion
inhabitants ofBurundi, asaresult oftheunfair andillegal blockade imposed against itbyneighbouring
States.
TheGovernment oftheRepublic ofBurundi thanks thecountries which havealready demanded
theimmediate lifting oftheblockade, particularly those which participated intheSummit ofHeads
ofState andGovernment oftheCentral African Countries, heldatBrazzaville, Congo, from
2-3December 1996 andthose which participated inthelastFrance/Africa Summit held from
4-6December 1996 atOugadougou, Burkina Faso, andinother forums.
TheremainingWTOMembercountriesshouldnotremaininthebackground,andthisConference
provides anexcellent opportunity fortaking action.
Weappeal toourneighbours whohaveimposed theblockade tolifttheembargo, without delay,
intheinterests ofourrespective peoples.
Turning toother issues, anyconsensus onthequestion oflabour standards should takeinto
accountthefollowingpoints:recognitionoftheimportanceofprotectingandpromotinglabourstandards;
recognition ofthecompetence oftheInternational Labour Organization inthisareaandacommitment
torefrain from resorting toprotectionist measures inapplying labour standards.WT/MIN(96)/ST/125
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Since UNCTAD hasalready beengiven amandate tostudy trade andinvestment, wedonot
consider itappropriate totransfer orduplicate thework byrequesting theWTO todothesame.
However, within theframework oftheAgreement onTrade-Related Investment Measures,
itwould bereasonable fortheWTO tocarry outstudies inthisarea, without encroaching onthe
UNCTAD mandate.
Trade andenvironment isacrucial issue, butitspertinence should notinanywayconstitute
apretext forerecting non-tariff barriers toexports, particularly those originating inthedeveloping
countries.