. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(01)/ST/134
12 November 2001
(01-5737)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fourth Session
Doha, 9 - 13 November 2001Original:  English
SWAZILAND
Statement by the Honourable Abednego Mandla Ntshangase
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
I have the honour and pleasure to address this august assembly.  I wish to begin by joining all
previous speakers in congratulating you upon your election to the chair of this meeting.  On behalf of
my delegation I wish to thank the Government and the people of Qatar for the warm welcome andhospitality that have been accorded us since our arrival in this beautiful city of Doha.  I wish to
commend the Government of Qatar for the excellent arrangements and facilities that have been put at
our disposal for this meeting.
I would like to make some comments on a few issues. In as far as implementation issues are
concerned, my delegation is of the view that this is  very important.  Therefore, the lack of meaningful
progress under this item is rather disappointing.  It  is in this regard that the remaining issues on
implementation need to be resolved amicably before the next session.  Developed countries have not
implemented some of their Uruguay Round obligations; implying that some of the benefits accruing
to developing countries are yet to be realized.  Developing countries themselves also have some
obligations which they are not able to discharge due to lack of capacity.  It is therefore my view that
financial and technical assistance should be made available to developing countries to assist them tounderstand and implement their commitments under the Uruguay Round.  Furthermore, developing
countries, including the least-developed countries, require technical assistance to help them
understand issues being negotiated at the WTO, as well as to develop local capacity to formulate the
trade-related policies.
My delegation is aware that some Members have proposed new issues for negotiation.
However, I am of the view that on the Singap ore and new issues, the work programme under way
should continue and studies be carried out so that developing countries, in particular those who do not
have permanent missions in Geneva, would fully understand the issues before embarking on full-scale
negotiations.  Consequently, my view is that the Singapore and new issues should be discussed duringthe next Session.
On mandated negotiations, my delegation wishes to comment on the Agreement on
Agriculture.  In most developing countries agriculture is the backbone of the economy.  It accounts
for the largest share of gross domestic product, job creation, export and foreign exchange earningsrequired to finance development activities.  My delegation is of the view that the Agreement on
Agriculture should include non-trade concerns such  as the promotion of rural development and food
security.  In developing countries, including in my own, the majority of people live in rural areas,
therefore development of rural areas is a priority if grass root poverty is to be alleviated and
eventually eradicated.  Also, the issue of food security needs to be addressed since a number of
developing countries are net food importers.WT/MIN(01)/ST/134
Page 2
In conclusion another issue of importance is special and differential treatment.  Since it is a
core principle of the WTO, I am of the view th at it should be incorporated into future WTO
agreements and rules.  We therefore request the developed countries to seriously commit themselves
to ensuring that special and differential treatment provisions are meaningful, operational and
responsive to development needs of developing countries.  Furthermore, the provision on special anddifferential treatment of developing countries should be legally binding and enforceable; otherwise it
would be meaningless.
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