RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/MIN(96)/SR/1
22January 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-0193)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Singapore, 9-13December 1996
SUMMARY RECORD OFTHE FIRST MEETING
Held attheSuntec Conference Centre, Singapore,
onMonday, 9December 1996, at10a.m.
Chairman: Mr.YeoCheow Tong (Singapore)
Subjects: 1. Address byPrime Minister GohChok Tong ofSingapore
2. Adoption oftheagenda
3. Order ofbusiness
4. Introduction ofthereport oftheGeneral Council byitsChairman
5. Statement bytheDirector-General
6. General statements (Agenda item1)
1. Address byPrime Minister GohChok Tong ofSingapore
TheCHAIRMAN called themeeting toorder, andintroduced Prime Minister GohChok Tong,
whodelivered anaddress (WT/MIN(96)/5).
Following thePrime Minister 'saddress, theCHAIRMAN declared theinaugural ceremony
oftheMinisterial Conference closed and,withtheDirector-General andtheVice-Chairmen ofthe
Ministerial Conference, escorted Prime Minister Gohasheleftthebuilding.
2. Adoption oftheagenda
TheCHAIRMAN thendeclared thesession oftheMinisterial Conference open.
TheMinisterial Conference adopted theagenda proposed inWT/MIN(96)/W/1:
"1. Overview ofActivities oftheWTO;
2. Action byMinisters;
3. Dates andvenue ofthenextMinisterial Conference;
4. Election ofOfficers."
3. Order ofbusiness
TheCHAIRMAN drewattention totheProposed Order ofBusiness inWT/MIN(96)/3. With
regard tothestarting times ofthemorning meetings asdescribed inthatdocument, heproposed, inWT/MIN(96)/SR/1
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viewoftheverylarge number ofstatements tobemade inthePlenary meetings, thatthese meetings
begin at9.30a.m.andnot10a.m.
TheMinisterial Conference agreed totheOrganization ofwork suggested bytheChairman.1
4. Introduction ofthereport oftheGeneral Council byitsChairman
Mr.William Rossier, Ambassador andPermanent Representative ofSwitzerland totheWTO
atGeneva, andChairman oftheGeneral Council, made astatement (WT/MIN(96)/6) introducing the
report oftheGeneral Council inWT/MIN(96)/2.
5. Statement bytheDirector-General
TheDirector-General made astatement (WT/MIN(96)/7) presenting theannual overview of
developments ininternational trade andthetrading system contained intheWTO Annual Report
(WT/TPR/OV/2).
6. General statements
TheCHAIRMAN invited Ministers andother speakers wishing tomake statements under this
Agenda itemtodosoinasingle presentation which alsoaddressed thetworeports thathadbeen
introduced bytheChairman oftheGeneral Council andtheDirector-General.
Herecalled thatRule22oftheRules ofProcedure forsessions oftheMinisterial Conference
(WT/L/161) provided thepossibility fortheChairperson tolimitthetimeallowed toeachspeaker with
theconsent ofthemeeting. TheChairman oftheGeneral Council hadalready announced totheGeneral
Council on2October thatstatements attheMinisterial Conference should belimited toamaximum
offiveminutes. Inorder toprovide equitable opportunity toallspeakers toexpress theirviews in
thePlenary meetings, heproposed thattheMinisterial Conference agree tolimitallstatements toa
maximum offiveminutes. Delegations thatsowished, could circulate longer presentations asformal
documents oftheMinisterial Conference.
TheMinisterial Conference soagreed.
Thefollowing statements were made:
Canada TheHonourable Arthur C.Eggleton, WT/MIN(96)/ST/1
Minister forInternational Trade
Commission ofthe SirLeon Brittan Q.C., WT/MIN(96)/ST/2
European Vice-President oftheEuropean Commission
Communities
1Amendments totheorganization ofwork were subsequently announced attheendofthepresent meeting,
andduring thethird, fourth andseventh meetings oftheMinisterial Conference (seeWT/MIN(96)/SR/1, p.3;
SR/3, p.2; SR/4, p.2; andSR/7, p.2).WT/MIN(96)/SR/1
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Council ofthe H.E. Mr.Enda Kenny, T.D., WT/MIN(96)/ST/3 andAdd.1
European Minister ofTourism andTrade ofIreland
Communities onbehalf ofthePresidency oftheCouncil
oftheEuropean Communities
Argentina H.E. Mr.G.J.Campbell, WT/MIN(96)/ST/4
Minister ofInternational Economic Relations
United States TheHonourable Charlene Barshefsky, WT/MIN(96)/ST/5
Acting United States Trade Representative
Denmark Mr.PoulNielson, WT/MIN(96)/ST/6
Minister forDevelopment Cooperation
Austria Mr.Hannes Farnleitner, WT/MIN(96)/ST/7
Federal Minister forEconomic Affairs,
Head ofDelegation
Brazil H.E. Mr.LuizFelipe Lampreia, WT/MIN(96)/ST/8
Minister forExternal Relations
United Kingdom TheRight Honourable IanLang, M.P., WT/MIN(96)/ST/9
President oftheBoard ofTrade,
Head oftheDepartment ofTrade andIndustry
Italy TheRight Honourable Augusto Fantozzi, WT/MIN(96)/ST/10
Minister ofForeign Trade
France Mr.Yves Galland, WT/MIN(96)/ST/11
Minister forFinance andForeign Trade
Bangladesh Mr.Tofael Ahmed, WT/MIN(96)/ST/12
Minister forCommerce andIndustry
Germany Mr.Günter Rexrodt, WT/MIN(96)/ST/13
Federal Minister ofEconomics
TheCHAIRMAN announced thatpriortothePlenary meeting scheduled forthatafternoon, which
heproposed toconvene at3.30p.m., hewould holdaninformal Heads ofDelegations meeting at2.30
p.m.todiscuss thefurther organization ofwork attheMinisterial Conference.
TheMinisterial Conference tooknoteofthisinformation.
TheSECRETARY informed themeeting thatinpursuance oftheinformal Heads ofDelegations
consultations called bytheChairman forthatafternoon, thefollowing changes would beintroduced to
theprogramme ofwork agreed earlier. OnTuesday, 10December, theinformal Heads ofDelegations
meeting would continue, andmeet from 10a.m.to6p.m. OnWednesday, 11December, afurther
informal heads ofDelegations meeting would beheldfrom10a.m.to12noon. Asaresult, thespecial
meetings among Ministers, initially scheduled fortheafternoons ofTuesday andWednesday, were
cancelled. Suchaspecial meeting would becalled ontheafternoon ofThursday, 12December, subject
toconfirmation. ThePlenary meetings would beheldasoriginally scheduled, withtheexception of
thatafternoon 'sPlenary, which would begin at3.30p.m.WT/MIN(96)/SR/1
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TheMinisterial Conference tooknoteofthisinformation.
Themeeting adjourned at1p.m.