. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(99)/INF/10
15 November 1999
(99-4901)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Third Session
Seattle, 30 November - 3 December 1999
STATEMENTS AT PLENARY MEETINGS
Information Note
I. DELIVERY OF STATEMENTS
1. Ministers and other speakers who take the floor at the meetings of the Ministerial Conference
will be requested to do so from a lectern on the podium.
2. In order to facilitate the sequence of speakers, seats close to the rostrum will be reserved for
the two next speakers.  Speakers will be invited to move to these reserved seats while the preceding
statements are being made.
3. While the Secretariat will make every effort to contact each delegation in advance of its
upcoming speaking time, it is suggested that all de legations keep track of developments in this
respect.  The Chairman's list of speakers for each session will be made known as far as possible tointerested delegations during the meetings.  The Chairman expects delegations' cooperation and
understanding in the event of unexpected, compelling and last-minute changes that may have to be
made to this list.
II. LENGTH OF STATEMENTS
4. Statements should not exceed five minutes, which corresponds to two typed pages in single
spacing.  Facilities are available for circulating longer presentations in writing.
III. DISTRIBUTION OF THE TEXTS OF STATEMENTS
5. The task of the Secretariat, particularly that of the interpreters, the Secretary of the
Conference and the press office, will be greatly facilitated if delegations hand in five typed copies and
wherever possible a copy on diskette of texts of statements (as well as any longer writtenpresentations) in one of the official languages to the Secretariat of the Conference
1 as far in advance
as possible.  Texts of statements handed in will only be circulated after the statements have beenmade.
6. These texts should be handed in before 9.00 a.m. in the case of statements to be made in the
morning, and before 2.30 p.m. for statements to be made in the afternoon, but in any case not later
than immediately after delivery.
7. All statements will be circulated as conference documents in the WT/MIN(99)/ST/- series
after their delivery.  Every effort will be made to do so in the three official languages on the day,
following their delivery, both at Seattle and Geneva.
                                                     
1 Either at the Office of the Conference Plenary, or in the plenary meeting room.WT/MIN(99)/INF/10
Page 2
8. If statements are handed in in writing 24 hours in advance, every effort will be made to
circulate them as conference documents in the thre e official languages immediately after they have
been made.  No documents will be circulated during the plenary sessions.
9. In the documents circulated it will not be possible to take account of departures made by
speakers from their written texts.
10. In cases were speakers make only brief statements, and at the same time submit a longer
written presentation to the Secretariat of the Conference, unless otherwise indicated by the delegation
concerned, only the longer communications will be circulated as a document.
11. Unless otherwise indicated in advance by delegations, the texts of statements or written
presentations will be made available to the press immediately after they have been made.
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