WORLD TRADE WT/MIN(98)/ST/77
18May1998
ORGANIZATION(98-2066)
Original: English MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Second Session
Geneva, 18and20May1998
LIECHTENSTEIN
Statement Circulated byH.E. Mr.Michael Ritter,
Minister forNational Economy
Firstofall,Iwould liketoexpress mygratitude toyou,Mr.Chairman, totheGovernment
ofSwitzerland aswellastotheSecretariat oftheWTO fortheexcellent organization ofthisSecond
Ministerial Conference oftheWTO. Mysincere thanks arealsoaddressed tothechairmen ofall
WTO Bodies andtotheDirector-General, Mr.Ruggiero, whohavecreated optimal conditions for
ourwork.
During these days, wearecelebrating the50thAnniversary ofthemultilateral trading system.
Theconclusion oftheWTO Agreement in1994 wasnotonlyinanswer tothechallenges raised by
thechanges oftheworld economy since themultilateral trading system hadbeenconcluded 50years
ago,butalsototheconvincing contribution ofthebasic principle ofnon-discrimination toeconomic
growth andstability.
Theconclusion ofthree newagreements inthefields ofbasic telecommunications services,
information technologies andfinancial services since thefirstMinisterial Conference oftheWTO are
promising signs thattheMembers oftheWorld Trade Organization areprepared todevelop further
themultilateral system. Weareheretoestablish abroad-based preparatory process fortheThird
Ministerial Session. Wearetolaunch thenecessary process forthepreparation ofasound ground
andanoptimal background, enabling todecide inwhich fields andwithwhich pacewewant to
proceed. While doing thispreparatory work, weshall gainmore experience withtheexisting
Agreements andbeabletodraw corresponding conclusions. Itwillalsofacilitate thelaunch of
efficient negotiations concerning thebuilt-in agenda. Furthermore, athorough analysis oftherapidly
changing economic environment willenable ustoidentify newareas tobeincluded intothe
multilateral trading system. Three possible areas, investment, competition andtransparency inpublic
procurement, havealready beenidentified atthelastMinisterial Meeting in1996. Itisthevery
purpose andalsotheresponsibility ofourorganization toreflect inabalanced waythenewrealities
oftheglobalized world economy. TheWTO should alsoinfuture provide theessential framework
forgenerally accepted rules withdurable solutions within which totrade. These rules should of
course reflect thattrade andenvironment policies aremutually supportive.
TheHigh-Level Meeting onintegrated initiatives forLeast-Developed Countries ’Trade
Development, which tookplace lastOctober, wasmost valuable togetaclearer orientation ofthe
WTO ’sroleinassisting thepoorest countries. Itisimportant toensure aneffective follow-up in
order toenable theLeast-Developed Countries totakepartandfindtheirplace intheglobal market.
./.WT/MIN(98)ST/77
Page 2
Trade liberalization hastobenefit allWTO Members. AllMembers should beabletoshare the
achievements ofglobal growth oftrade, investment, employment, income andstability.
Letmemake some comments ontheimplementation oftheWTO Agreement andMinisterial
Decisions. ThisMinisterial Conference offers anexcellent opportunity toassess howthecommitments
wehavetaken onduring thepastyears havebeenimplemented. AtthefirstMinisterial Conference
inSingapore, wehavealready reaffirmed ourcommitment tofullyimplement theUruguay Round
Agreements. Also, infuture, highpriority andmajor efforts byeachandeveryone should bedevoted
totheimplementation process. Onlytheeffective implementation oftheexisting agreements willgive
usenough credibility andsecure thenecessary public support tofacenewchallenges within our
multilateral trading system. Should wenotbecapable ofproperly fulfilling thealready existing
commitments, global issues willbedealt withbybilateral orregional agreements. Atthispoint, I
would liketostress thatLiechtenstein attaches great importance toensuring thatregional integration
initiatives aresupportive tothemultilateral system andviceversa.
Withregard totheimplementation oftheagreements, Inotewithsatisfaction thatthedispute
settlement system oftheWTO works successfully, proven bynumerous cases presented toand
handled bythisbody. Itclearly expresses thewillingness oftheWTO Members torespect the
multilateral rules. Thereview ofthedispute settlement rulesandprocedures, foreseen totakeplace
thisyear, willallow toidentify andeliminate possible shortcomings.
Theongoing process ofrapid globalization gives risetofearsinthepublic. These fearsare
sometimes intangible. Hence, theMembers oftheWTO aswellastheWTO Secretariat should make
every effort toexplain tothepublic theadvantages which amultilateral trading system canhavewhen
facing thechallenges ofglobalization andtheinformation society. Public awareness aswellas
transparency oftheWTO should become keywords ofourfuture work.
__________