. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/AG/NG/W/171
6 April 2001
(01-1779)
Committee on Agriculture
Special SessionOriginal:  Spanish
SEVENTH SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
26-28 MARCH 2001
Statement by Venezuela
I would like to begin my statement by expressing my delegation's appreciation of the work
you have done as Chairman of this Committee.  The consultations you have conducted over the past
few months will enable us to begin the second stage of the negotiation process with a balanced work
programme within the framework of the negotiating mandate contained in Article 20 of theAgreement on Agriculture.
On balance, we consider the results of this first stage of negotiations to be positive.  Basically,
the extensive participation of developing countries through comprehensive proposals covering the
three pillars or traditional areas of negotiation of the Agreement on Agriculture as well as concreteproposals in the area of special and differential treatment and on other issues that are crucial to our
countries, such as food security, provide grounds for satisfaction.
We sincerely hope that these proposals will be taken into consideration when the time comes
to define the modalities and options for continuing the reform process.
Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture states that the objective of the reform process is to
establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system.  The various proposals from the
developing countries clearly indicate their determination, which we share, to make a positive
contribution to attaining this objective.
But to guarantee the fairness of the process, the level of commitments must reflect a balance
between the different areas of negotiation.  We think that it is necessary to review the current structure
of the Agreement on Agriculture, in particular with respect to domestic support, in order to make it
more rational and to reverse the marked growth trend in aid to agriculture in the developed countries
that has emerged since the adoption of the Uruguay Round Agreements.
In this connection it is important to clarify the relationship between the progress achieved in
the different areas of negotiation in order to define the scope of the commitments that need to be made
in each specific area.  It would be particularly difficult for Venezuela to envisage taking on new tariff
reduction commitments in a context marked by serious international market distortions.
The various proposals submitted to the Committee reflect the great importance attached by all
Member countries, developed or developing, to special and differential treatment.  However, my
delegation is concerned at the restricted approach to this subject advocated in certain proposals, which
call for case-by-case consideration with a strong emphasis on aspects such as technical assistance
which, although of vital importance, only partially meets the specific needs of the developing
countries.  This approach to special and differential treatment contrasts with the aspirations of certain
Members in the area of non-trade concerns, where some have called for the adoption of horizontalG/AG/NG/W/171
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provisions unlimited in time.  Many of these proposals basically call for the maintenance of the
inequalities that currently exist in the Agreement on Agriculture.
The experience acquired in implementing the Agreement has shown us that not only are
longer transitional periods and technical assistance needed to enable the developing countries tobecome more fully integrated in international agricu ltural trade flows, but the negotiations must also
lead to the adoption of provisions on special and differential treatment which would enable countries
such as Venezuela to strengthen and develop their Agricultural sector and take assertive action to
defend their markets against unfair competition resulting, for example, from the numerous subsidies
granted by the developed countries to their agricultural sector.
Finally, this delegation has listened carefully to the statements by certain Members expressing
an interest in placing the negotiations on agriculture in the context of a broad round of negotiations.
In our view, the built-in agenda for agriculture and services is based on independent mandates
contained in the respective Uruguay Round agreements, and hence their progress should not be made
contingent on factors outside the actual scope of those mandates.
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