RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/42  
 
25 July 2014  
(14-4310) Page: 1/2 
Working Party on the Accession of Kazakhstan  Original: English  
 
 WORKING PARTY ON THE  ACCESSION OF KAZAKHS TAN  
19TH WORKING PARTY M EETING  
23 JULY 2014  
CHAIRMAN'S CONCLUDIN G REMARKS: "NEXT STE PS" FOR THE WORKING PARTY  
Let me begin by thanking  H.E. Minister Zhanar Aitzhanova for her energy and leadership; 
and appreciatio n to her team for their useful  technical work .  I also wish to thank Members for 
their constructive comments and inputs.  I believe that we had  a good week of strong progress, 
identification of landing zones and, are on track, although there is outstanding  work.  There is a 
understanding on the issues in the Draft Working Party  Report1 that require further work.  
 
This is how I see where we stand:  
 
First, on the multilateral front, the Working Party has examined all of the available sections 
of the draft Rep ort today.  The Draft Chapter on SPS2 was reviewed at the Plurilateral Meeting on 
25 June; the Draft Chapter of Agriculture Policy3 and the Proposal on Ordinary Customs Duties4 
were reviewed at the Plurilateral Meetings on 22 July.  I believe that, as alre ady noted, Kazakhstan 
and Members have a good picture of where the outstanding issues are.  
  
Given the advanced stage of the Draft Working Party Report , I would encourage Delegations 
to continue working directly on specific textual proposals and commitment  language.  Prior to our 
next meeting, the Secretariat will use all available inputs received from WTO Members and 
Kazakhstan to revise and fine -tune these sections of the draft Report.  Once again, I  would urge 
Members to provide written inputs by 15 Augu st or earlier, if possible.  
  
Second , another round of Plurilateral Meetings would be required to consider the Draft 
Chapters on the SPS  and Agriculture .  But, before the next cycle of meetings, I urge Members to 
stay in regular negotiating contacts.  As Working Party Chairman, I shall also be directly engaged 
as we seek to drive this accession to conclusion this year.   
 
On SPS, I encourage Kazakhstan and Members to intensify the technical work in various 
formats, including bilateral or plurilateral consu ltations .  Extra efforts will be required and the pace 
urgently requires acceleration, at this stage.  The next Plurilateral meeting is tentatively envisaged 
for September , but this would need to be preceded with intensive work and expedited submission 
of inputs from Astana .  The adoption of pending legislation by Kazakhstan is one of the key 
aspects to advance on this issue which is of critical importance to the whole WTO membership.   
 
On Agriculture , the revised proposal  presented by Minister Aitzhanova5, in my view, has set  
out a good basis for advancing the discussions on the final commitments and the draft Chapter on 
Agriculture Polic y.  We will need another plurilateral meeting , perhaps in the same week as the 
SPS Plurilateral, to continue and, hopefu lly, finalize this work, including the updated Agriculture 
Chapter.  This should, h opefully, set the basis for its incorporation into the Draft Working Party 
Report.  In order to build on the good progress made yesterday, 22 July, the negotiating inputs, 
including an up dated Agriculture Chapter, need  to be submitted to the Secretariat by the end of 
August, and no later.   
                                               
1 WT/ACC/SPEC/KAZ/9/Rev.11.  
2 JOB/ACC/30/Rev.5.    
3 JOB/ACC/37/Rev.5.  
4 JOB/ACC/40.  
5 JOB/ACC/36/Rev.6.  JOB/ACC/42  
 
- 2 - 
 
   
Third , on the  tariff adjustment question , I will be consulting with Signatory Members and 
the broader membership so as to refine my init ial proposal.  I shall be doing so in real time and as 
indicated, I shall be directly assisted by the Director of the Accessions Division.  My purpose is to 
achieve specific results that would enable: a) the inclusion of the draft text into the body of the  
next update of the Draft Working Party Report; and, b) an outcome that would enable me to 
authorize the Director of Accession s and his Team to produce the next update of the Draft Goods 
Schedule .6   
  
Fourth , on the Draft Services Schedule , as you have just heard from the Delegation of 
Kazakhstan, it ha s concluded its consultations with Signatory Members of the Draft Schedule 
consolidated by the Secretariat in 2013 and circulated thereafter.  I have now requested the 
Director of Accessions, in accordance w ith standing practice , to proceed with the process of 
technical verification  to be finalized in September, in the same Cycle that would be scheduled for 
the Agriculture and SPS Plurilateral meetings.  
  
Fifth, the timing of the next meeting of the Working P arty will depend on the timely 
submission of inputs, as well as the progress made in SPS, Agriculture  and the tariff adjustment .  
I would like to stress that it is important to balance three factors , namely: i) the time required by 
Astana to prepare qualit y inputs; ii) the time required by the Secretariat to check these inputs and 
ensure systemic compliance and process for circulation to Members; and, iii) the time required by 
Members to review new inputs and documentation  prior to any meeting .  In accordan ce with our 
usual procedures, I will continue to consult with Delegations and the Secretariat and a specific 
date will emerge once the new inputs are received.       
  
Finally , I believe that we have an opportunity to move to conclusion this year, but this  is 
not a given.  It will only happen, if Astana delivers WTO -consistent Negotiating Inputs for its terms 
of accession, fully and expeditiously ; and Members in the Working Party are pragmatic and 
contribute to driving this accession to conclusion .  
 
Endgam e accession stages are simply moments of opportunity.  They can be seized, or they 
can be missed.  As Chairman of the Working Party, I shall do everything within my power and 
I know that Members stand ready to help Kazakhstan cross the finish line.  But Me mbers have also 
been clear with me that every accession term and condition must safeguard and strengthen our 
rules-based system.   I believe that Kazakhstan can seize the opportunity of a 2014 accession, if it 
takes the final decisions on WTO -consistent ter ms of accession.  
 
 
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6 WT/ACC/SPEC/KAZ/10/Rev.3.