WORLD TRADE WT/MIN(96)/13
20December 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-5402)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE Original: English
Singapore, 9-13December 1996
REMARKS BYNORWAY 'SMINISTER OFDEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
Thefollowing statement byNorway 'sMinister ofDevelopment Cooperation, intended forthe
special meetings among Ministers, iscirculated fortheinformation ofMembers attherequest ofthe
delegation ofNorway.
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Iwould liketooffer some remarks ontheissue ofmarket access andinparticular onhow
trade andWTO cancontribute toimproving thesituation oftheleastdeveloped countries (LDC 's).
General
Norway hasapositive attitude towards further liberalization oftradeinindustrial goods. Subject
toparliamentary approval, myGovernment willeliminate allcustoms duties forproducts which have
bound ratesbelow 3percent("nuisance tariffs"), by1January 1997. Alsotariffs ranging from3to
15percentonanumber ofother products willbeeliminated asfrom thesame date. Norway will
alsophase outtheremaining textile quotas by1998 instead of2005.
Increased market access fortheleastdeveloped countries (LDC 's)
Thesingle mostimportant challenge facing theWTO today istheintegration ofalleconomies
inworld trade. Weallhavearesponsibility toensure thatevery Member, aswellasthose countries
which areintheprocess ofacceding, aregiven thepossibility toparticipate intheglobalization of
trade.
Theleastdeveloped countries account forlessthanone-half percentofglobal exports and
arebecoming increasingly marginalized. Although individual countries retain theprimary responsibility
fortheirdevelopment, adequate market access isaprecondition foreconomic growth andsustainability.
Trade isoneimportant toolforstimulating development. Ibelieve thattheWTO canoffer LDC's
additional competitive advantages. Theintegration ofleastdeveloping countries through thegranting
ofcollective aswellasautonomous tradepreferences would promote thecredibility tothemultilateral
trading regime andmake theWTO sustain itsroleastheforum forglobal trade intothe21stcentury.
AttheG7Summit inLyon thisFall,Director-General Ruggiero called forimproved market
access forexports from leastdeveloped countries. TheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment has
elaborated some proposals initsAction PlanforLDC's.InlinewithwhatIsaidattheLDC seminar
on13to15November inGeneva, Iwould liketosuggest thefollowing:
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1. Forimports from leastdeveloped countries, industrialized countries should, asof
1January 1998, eliminate alltariffs andquantitative restrictions related toindustrial
products, including textiles.
2. Allindustrialized countries should, by1January 1998, consider granting substantial
preferential treatment toagricultural products from LDC's.
3. Developing Members other thantheleastdeveloped countries should, ontheirimport
from leastdeveloped countries, implement by1January 1998 thefinalrateoftariff
reductions according totheMarrakesh Protocol toGATT 1994.
4. Products fromleastdeveloped countries should begiven flexibility withregard tothe
origin criteria. Developed countries should consider exemptions from origin
requirements onacase-by-case basis, ortheycould introduce fullcumulation oforigin
forLDC'sproducts inaccordance withthework being undertaken bytheWTO and
theWorld Customs Organization.
Withonlyamarginal market share, thegranting offavourable market access privileges toleast
developed countries could hardly constitute athreat toanycountry. Itistherefore mysincere hope
thatthese measures could beimplemented either asbinding commitments orintheshape ofnational
trade preference programmes (GSP) tothebenefit oftheLDC's.