. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(03)/ST/122
13 September 2003
(03-4897)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fifth Session
Cancún, 10 - 14 September 2003Original:  French
HAITI
Statement by H.E. Mr. Jean-Claude Roche
Minister of Commerce and Industry
The Republic of Haiti joins those countries that have already taken the floor in congratulating
you on your election and, above all, on your skilful handling of the work of this Fifth Session of the
Ministerial Conference.
We also wish to express our sincere congratulations to Mr Supachai Panitchpakdi on the way
in which he has directed the work of the WTO since he was appointed Director-General of this
Institution.
The Haitian delegation takes this opportunity to express its most sincere thanks to the
Government of the United States of Mexico, which has kindly made available this exquisite seaside
resort of Quintana Roo as the venue for the WTO Ministerial Conference.  On behalf of its
Government, it salutes the valiant people of Mexico on the occasion of the commemoration of their
independence on 15 September.
The Haitian delegation fully supports the statements by the member States of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM), the ACP group of countries, the least-developed countries and the States of
the Agence Internationale de la Francophonie.
However, it notes that the questions relating to the development and genuine integration of
LDCs into the multilateral trading system have not been adequately addressed in the negotiations.  Ittherefore hopes that an acceptable solution will be found at this session, with a view to fully
implementing the Doha Ministerial Declaration as regards the aspects relevant to the development of
the LDCs.
On the other hand, we note progress in the reduction of the marginalization of LDCs.  In this
connection, the initiatives of certain Member States to improve access to their markets for LDC
export products are to be welcomed.  However, the weaknesses related to the production and export
capacities of these countries continue to be major constraints, preventing them from taking full
advantage of the opportunities offered on external markets.
My delegation therefore appeals for effective support for the LDCs, with a view to facilitating
the diversification of their production and export base, as well as capacity-building in the field of
trade.  It attaches great importance to access for agricultural and non-agricultural products to the
markets of developed countries.
This Fifth Session of the Conference is called upon to address the thorny and crucial question
of special and differential treatment.  At this stage, my delegation considers it necessary to take actionWT/MIN(03)/ST/122
Page 2
to make the regime more precise, more efficient and more operational in accordance with the Doha
Declaration.  It is therefore necessary to broaden the relevant provisions so as to make them binding.
I should like to place emphasis on technical cooperation and capacity-building, which should
facilitate improved use of the multilateral trading system by the developing countries and the LDCs inparticular, through their capacity to implement the WTO agreements.  My delegation takes this
opportunity to put the case for genuine implementati on of the integrated framework for trade-related
technical assistance for the least-developed countries.
We also wish to thank the Secretariat of the WTO, UNCTAD and the ITC for their active
cooperation with the LDCs, particularly with Haiti.
In connection with trade in services, Haiti fully supports the liberalization process.  However,
it attaches great importance to the movement of natural persons as a mode of supply of particular
export interest to the developing countries and the LDCs.
Moreover, my delegation welcomes the latest developments in the TRIPS framework,
particularly the agreement reached on 30 August in the WTO General Council on TRIPS and public
health.
We also attach particular importance to the cultural exception and thus support special
treatment for cultural and intellectual goods.
The Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference is being held in an exceptional economic
climate.  Over the past two years, several high-level international meetings have been held on
development issues in the framework of the United  Nations, for example the international conference
on development finance, the Johannesburg summit on sustainable development, etc.  Several solutionshave been proposed and commitments undertaken.
My delegation considers that questions relating to trade, debt, finance and development
should be addressed on a global basis, as they are interconnected.  We therefore consider it important
that the debates held here take into account the commitments made by our governments at those
meetings.
The Republic of Haiti associates itself with all those delegations which support Benin, Chad,
Burkina Faso and Mali in their joint initiative in favour of cotton.
In conclusion, my delegation hopes that the WTO will further strengthen its capacities and
continue to serve as a pre-eminent forum for dial ogue and negotiation for its Members, so as to
steadily improve its ability to meet the legitimate expectations of all the peoples of the world.
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