WORLD TRADE WT/MIN(96)/ST/74
11December 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-5241)
Original: English MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Singapore, 9-13December 1996
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Statement bytheHonourable Abdul Rahman Taib
Minister ofIndustry andPrimary Resources
Onbehalf oftheDelegation ofBrunei Darussalam, Iwould liketothank you,Mr.Chairman,
theGovernment andthepeople ofSingapore, forthewarm hospitality, andcongratulate youonthe
excellent arrangements made forthismeeting. Thatanevent ofsuchmagnitude andhistoric significance
isbeing heldhere, inSingapore, issurely arecognition ofyourachievements andcommitment tothe
ideals which ourOrganization embodies. Asafellow member ofASEAN, Iassure youofmy
delegation 'ssupport inyoursearch forasuccessful andbalanced outcome totheConference.
Wearemoving intoanewera.Theprocess ofglobalization brings theworld economy closer;
andthisposes challenges tousinterms ofsustaining themomentum towards liberalization andsuccessful
integration oftheWTO Member economies.
ThisMinisterial Conference iscrucial. Itshould provide political guidance anddirection to
theWTO 'sfuture work, whilst preserving thebasicprinciples andobjectives underlying themultilateral
trading system.
Nonetheless, thereview oftheimplementation oftheUruguay Round commitments should
beourtoppriority. Wemustcollectively seetoitthatthegains wehaveachieved intheUruguay Round
arenoteroded inanyway.
However, notification andlegislative obligations, among others, impose aserious burden on
thelimited resources ofmany smaller developing countries. Weasktherefore thatmeasures befound,
particularly through meaningful technical assistance, toovercome thesegenuine difficulties. Wemust
alsorecognize other substantive problems ofthedeveloping countries inimplementing some ofthe
commitments. Here again, weaskthatinintegrating those countries intothesystem, special and
differential treatment beaccorded tothose thataretruly inneed, where gradual andprogressive
liberalization should remain central inourapproach.
Onbalance, wearesatisfied withthedevelopments ofthelasttwoyears. Onestriking success
worthy ofspecial mention istheworking oftheDispute Settlement Understanding. Itsgrowing
importance andreliability areself-evident bythesheer number ofcases before it.Wearehappy to
notethatMembers continue tohavefaithinasystem which isbased, notonforce, butoncommon
andenforceable rules.
Theother bodies arealsogoing about theirwaystodebate anddefine many unchartered areas.
Most oftherecommendations bytheGeneral Council anditsvarious subsidiary bodies aregenerally
acceptable.WT/MIN(96)/ST/74
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Butinworking towards theConference 'sfinaloutcome, fairness andbalance, where there
willbesomething foreveryone, should continue tobeouryardstick. Here, weshould consolidate
andbuilduponthebalance thatalready exists intheMarrakesh Agreement. Treating thebuilt-in agenda
consistently across theboard isindeed onesurewayofachieving justthat.
Onaccession, Brunei Darussalam supports universality ofWTO membership. Tothatend,
webelieve thattheWTO should expedite itswork tobring thecurrent applicants intothesystem.
Turning tonewissues, there arestillanumber ofareas which posesome problems tous.
Inapproaching thisquestion, wealways maintain thatthelevel ofambition must coincide withthe
political andeconomic reality. Weagree withthegeneral assertion thattheWTO mustbedynamic
andrelevant totoday'sworld. But,thedanger ofoverloading itsagenda andoverstretching itsresources
atthisearly stage cannot beignored.
Onlabour standards, itslinkages andrelevance totrade andtheWTO havebeenquestioned.
Wetherefore feelthattheissue isbestdealtwithinother forasuchastheILO.
Asfortheenvironment -eventhough itisnotexactly anewissue-thetwoyears ofdiscussions
intheCommittee onTrade andEnvironment havenotbeeneasy. Here, wewishtoseethatconcerns
fortheenvironment beaddressed inamanner which doesnotundermine market access. Weurge
theCommittee tocontinue itswork, withastrong caution against attempts tointroduce andjustify
protectionist measures inthename ofenvironmental protection.
Asfortrade andcompetition andamultilateral agreement ongovernment procurement, these
twoissues should beassessed interms oftheChairman 'sthree criteria; inparticular, astowhether
theyhavereached thelevelofmaturity inthediscussions. Mydelegation isoftheviewthattheyare
farfrom being so.
Thepresent complex structure andfunctioning oftheworld economy addtotheurgency for
ustoaddress thequestion oftheWTO 'scontinuing relevance. Wearetoday faced withaneweconomic
reality which gives additional dimension tothemeaning ofglobalization.
What thismeans tousiscaptured inthetwofollowing observations:
- First, thetechnological progress hasdramatically changed thewayweconduct our
business; and
- second, those business corporations withmultinational characters thatmatter somuch
totheworld economy areheretostay.
Onthefirstpoint,theproposalfortheInformationTechnologyAgreement(ITA)isofrelevance.
Weacknowledge thatsuchtechnology cancontribute tonarrowing thegapbetween developed and
developing countries. However, before finalizing theAgreement, thescope ofcoverage andtheelement
offlexibility -which should incorporate theprinciple ofgradual andprogressive liberalization, especially
forthedeveloping countries -needtobefurther worked on.
Thesecond point isaclearproof thattrade andinvestment areintricately linked. Noonecan
denythatforeign direct investment brings more thanjustcapital; italsoprovides opportunities for
transfer oftechnological andmanagerial skills. But,thecomplexity oftherelationship andthe
implications ofanynewdisciplines tothedeveloping countries, particularly intheirpromotion ofWT/MIN(96)/ST/74
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developmental objectives, compel ustobecautious. Weareready nonetheless toexplore thisissue,
along withUNCTAD, toensure thattheinterests ofdeveloping countries, suchastechnology transfer,
willnotbesubordinated.
Letmeconclude byreiterating whatmany havealready said: thattrade, important asitsurely
is,isnotanendinitself. Even astheworld ismoving sorapidly, noeffort should bespared toensure
thatnooneisleftonthemargins. Thegreatest challenge forustherefore, willbetoreconcile the
diverse needs andaspirations ofMembers without straining theOrganization.