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WT/MIN(13)/SR/4  
 
10 March 2014  
(14-1457)  Page: 1/16  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013    
 
 SUMMARY RECORD OF THE FOURTH MEETING 
HELD AT THE BALI NUSA DUA CONVENTION CENTRE (BNDCC), 
BALI, INDONESIA ON WEDNESDAY, 4 DECEMBER, AT 4.30 P.M. 
Chairperson: His Excellency Mr Gita Wirjawan (Indonesia) 
1  ACTION BY MINISTERS (AGENDA ITEM 2) - ACCESSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN 
1.1.  The Chairman welcomed H.E. Dr Saadaldeen  T a l i b ,  M i n i s t e r  o f  I n dustry and Trade of The 
Republic of Yemen, and the entire Delegation of Yemen.  He recalled that on 26 September 2013 
the Working Party on the Accession of Yemen had adopted its Report, which was before the 
Ministerial Conference in documents WT/ACC/YE M/42 - WT/MIN(13)/4 and Addenda 1 and 2. 
1 . 2 .   D e p u t y  D i r e c t o r - G e n e r a l  D a v i d  S h a r k ,  o n  b e h a l f  o f  M r  H a r t m u t  R ö b e n ,  C h a i r m a n  o f  t h e  
Working Party on the Accession of Yemen, introduc ed the Report of the Working Party. On behalf 
of Mr Röben, he welcomed Minister Saadal deen Talib and the Delegation of Yemen. 
1.3.  He recalled that Yemen had applied for WTO Membership in April 2000.  The 1st Working 
Party Meeting had been held on 30 November 2004.  Mr Röben had had the rare honour of 
chairing an Accession Working Party from start to finish. The Working Party had met 11 times. It had concluded its mandate with the adoption, ad referendum , of Yemen's Draft Accession Package 
at its 11
th and Final Working Party Meeting on 26 September 2013.    
1.4.  He noted that the Report on the Accession of Yemen before the Ministerial Conference that 
day was the negotiated result between the Go vernment of the Republic of Yemen and WTO 
Members. It had been adopted by consensus, ad referendum , in accordance with WTO Accession 
Best Practices. The contents of Yemen's Acce ssion Package safeguarded and strengthened the 
multilateral trading system.  They were consiste nt with the Guidelines for LDCs' Accessions, and 
would promote the trade and development priorities of Yemen. The agreed terms and conditions 
for the WTO Accession of Yemen were contained in  the following documents: (a) Report of the 
Working Party (WT/MIN(13)/4); (b) Schedule of Concessions and Commitments on Goods 
(WT/MIN(13)/4/Add.1); and (c) Schedule of Specific Commitments on Services (WT/MIN(13)/4/Add.2). 
1.5.  The Appendix to the Report reproduced the draft Decision for consideration and adoption by 
the Ministerial Conference and the Protocol on the Accession of Yemen. 
1.6.  On behalf of the Chairman of the Workin g Party, he commended the Report of the Working 
Party, as well as the draft Decision and Protocol  on the Accession of Yemen, for approval by the 
Ministerial Conference.   
1.7.  On behalf of Mr Röben, he paid tribute to the two Facilitators who had supported him in his 
r o l e  o f  C h a i r m a n  o f  t h e  W o r k i n g  P a r t y .  I n  t h a t  r e g a r d ,  a n d  o n  b e h a l f  o f  t h e  M e m b e r s  o f  t h e  
Working Party, he paid tribute to H.E. Mr Ste ffen Smidt, the Chairman of the LDC Sub-Committee, 
and DDG Yi, in his former function as Ambassador of China and Chairman of the Working Party on the Accession of Lao PDR. He said that Mr Röbe n had specifically asked him to acknowledge the WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  contribution of and to pay tribute to the Secretariat team for its services in support of the 
Accession of Yemen. 
1.8.  The Chairman thanked Mr Hartmut Röben, on behalf of the Ministerial Conference, for having 
served as Chairman of the Working Party throug hout the 13 years of the accession process. He 
also thanked Deputy Director-General Shar k for reporting on behalf of Mr Röben. 
1.9.   The Ministerial Conference then approved the Dr aft Protocol on the Accession of the Republic 
of Yemen as contained in the Report of the Working Party and in accordance with the Decision-
Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed in November 1995 
(WT/L/93), adopted the draft Decision on the Accessi on of the Republic of Yemen as contained in 
the Report of the Working Party.1 The Ministerial Conference then adopted the report of the 
Working Party in documents WT/MIN(13)/4 and Addenda 1 and 2. 
1.10.   The Chairman said it gave him great pleasure to welcome the Decision on the Accession of 
Yemen to the World Trade Organization.  He extended his congratulations to H.E. Dr Saadaldeen 
Talib, his entire team, and to all the people and Government of Yemen on the successful 
completion of the WTO accession process. The Decision that had just been taken on the accession 
of Yemen was another sign of the world's confidence in the WTO and the multilateral trading system. He strongly believed that through its fu ture membership in the WTO, Yemen would have a 
stable and predictable framework for economic en gagement with other nations which would boost 
trade, growth and prosperity. 
1.11.   He informed the Ministerial Conference that th e ceremony for the signature of the Protocol 
of Accession of Yemen with the Trade Minister of Yemen and the Director-General would take place 
immediately following the present session.  The Government of the Republic of Yemen would then 
submit the Protocol for ratification by its legislative assembly.  In keeping with WTO provisions, Yemen would become a Member of the WTO thirty days following the date of acceptance of the 
Protocol by Yemen.    
1.12.   H.E. Dr Saadaldeen Talib, Minister of Industry  and Trade of the Republic of Yemen, said 
that he had a long list of people to thank including the current and past Directors-General, the 
Secretariat especially the Accessions Division, the Facilitators and of course he would not forget 
the man who was not able to be in Bali, Mr Hartmut Röben, who had been the Chairman of the Working Party.  
1.13.   His staff had prepared a formal statement for him, but there was just too much excitement 
and passion for that, so he wanted simply to express two thoughts. The first one was that Yemen 
had been a trading nation for hundreds of years. Ye menis had travelled the world, in fact, they had 
come to Indonesia something like four or five hundred years ago, around the time of the discovery 
of the New world. They had come with trading, th ey had come with faith and even song and dance 
to share with the Indonesian people. There ha d been thousands of them and currently, their 
descendants were in the millions. In fact, his great grandfather had come to Indonesia and settled 
in 1840, followed by his grandfather fifteen years la ter. Therefore, the first thing he wanted to say 
to the Indonesian people was that he was not a guest. It felt just like home. For that, he expressed his gratitude to the Indonesian people in their language, Bahasa Indonesia.  
1.14.   The second thought he wanted to share was that Yemen had historically been called " Arabia 
Felix", which meant happy Yemen. It had been happy because it had been prosperous and 
currently Yemen was an LDC. This showed that sometimes things changed for countries and fortunes changed but the very essence of a country and the history and the civilization remained. 
Yemen had been trading for the last at least five or six hundred years, in fact, since the spice 
route. Yemen aimed to take back that role again and to connect with everybody in the world. It wanted to share its history, produce and culture as it had done with Indonesia for so many 
centuries. Yemen would connect again with most parts of the world after it came out of the 
present small crisis. He hoped within a few mo nths, a new Yemen would be born; a Yemen that 
was acceptable to the whole world. 
                                               
1 The Decision, as well as the text of the Protocol on Accession, was subsequently circulated in 
document WT/L/905. WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  1.15.   Yemen's path of accession had not been an easy  one. He called upon the developed nations 
to take care of LDCs, whether it was Sudan, Ethiopia or even Seychelles. He urged Members to give them a chance and not allow maverick de mands to be imposed on them. Yemen would be 
partners with all LDCs on their path through accession, and would assist them with anything that 
they could. He then declared Yemen open for business. 
1.16.   The Director-General offered his congratulations to Ministers on the decision they had just 
taken to approve the terms and conditions for th e Membership of the Republic of Yemen and, 
moreover, to the Government of Yemen on what was an important day for them, and for the WTO. 
He knew that he conveyed the sentiment of all Members, and LDC Members in particular, when he 
said that the Organization was stronger because of Yemen's presence. 
1.17.   In congratulating the Government of Yemen, he  said that Members should take note of the 
far-reaching domestic reforms that it had taken over  a 13-year period to reach that point. He knew 
that at times the process had been hard, and circumstances had been challenging. But he thought leadership was about vision, and sometimes that meant having the courage to take hard decisions 
for the public good. Yemen's accession demonstrated that it had shown that vision – it had taken 
those hard decisions which were necessary to se cure growth, development, trade integration and 
the extension of the rule of law. 
1.18.   On behalf of the WTO, he paid special tribute to Minister Saadaldeen Talib, who, as Chief 
Negotiator, had guided Yemen through the accession process. Members celebrated accessions both because of what it meant for the individual country, and also because of what it meant for the Organization. 
1.19.   Accessions helped safeguard and strengthen the multilateral system by: (a) spreading 
trade liberalization and adherence to common rules and standards; (b) building capacity; 
(c) improving market access opportunities; and (d) fostering international cooperation. And each 
accession took the WTO closer to its goal of universality. 
1.20.   Accession was a strategic priority for the WTO – particularly with regard to the accession of 
LDCs. The Republic of Yemen would be the 35
th LDC Member. The group comprised a fifth of the 
whole WTO Membership. It was an important constituency – and, as Members had seen in recent 
days, it was one that had been increasingly making its voice heard. That was something that he strongly welcomed. It was a defining characteristic of the WTO that all Members would have an equal say – it ensured that the interests of the smallest economies were taken into account. He 
urged Yemen to use the platform that the WTO had provided by making its voice heard. 
1.21.   The Chairman said that it was a very positi ve moment for the Organization. He believed 
that Members would like to express their welcome to Yemen and invited them to make statements 
in accordance with the list of speakers for the session. 
1.22.   All delegations that spoke warmly welcomed the accession of the Republic of Yemen to the 
WTO.  Delegations congratulated the Government of  the Republic of Yemen as well as other WTO 
Members for the historical achievement. Delega tions also commended the hard work of the 
negotiating team, the support of the WTO Secretariat and the efforts of the Working Party led by Mr. Hartmut Röben. 
1.23.   The representative of Nepal, on behalf of th e LDC Group, said that the Accession of Yemen 
was one of the significant events of the Ministerial Conference. It was a moment to celebrate the 
success of Yemen. He especially saluted the negotiators of Yemen who had demonstrated a higher degree of professionalism; had endeavoured thro ughout a long process; and, had accomplished 
new systems to finally get the deal for their count ry. He deeply appreciated their hard work and 
the persistent determination they had shown. He  said that it was a deal worth pursuing. Its 
Membership of the WTO brought numerous advantages amid the challenges that were also 
present. Yemen had finally brought to an end thei r thirteen year-long tireless endeavours, a hard-
worked journey.  That was a major accomplishment that Members all cherished.  
1.24.   A least-developed country had made a decision to join the WTO despite significant 
development challenges at home. Members had admired their commitment to abide by the rules of 
the multilateral trading system. Yemen's Membership of the WTO re-enforced the core belief of WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  LDCs in a commitment to the rules-based multilateral trading system. The accession moved the 
WTO closer to universal Membership.  
1.25.   He was pleased to note that with Yemen's accession, the presence and strength of LDCs in 
the WTO had increased. He firmly believed that Yemen's Membership would add further dynamism 
and strength to the LDC Group in balancing out their common agenda. He noted that Yemen had 
contributed to the work of the LDC consultative group in the WTO as an observer. He looked towards working closely with them in pursuit of their collective interests.  
1.26.   The accession process remained a challenging task for LDCs given their human, financial 
and technical constraints. In view of that, he emphasized the need to further simplify the process of accession and to make it less onerous to acceding LDCs. In that regard, he welcomed the revised LDC Accession Guidelines of 2012. He said that strict compliance with the improved 
guidelines should be ensured. However, Members should exercise due restraint in seeking 
commitments from LDCs that were not commensurate to their level of development. 
1.27.   He said that the fundamental question before Members was how to make the multilateral 
trading system more responsive to the developm ent needs and priorities of the poorest Members 
of the Organization. As regards the LDC Membership  o f  t h e  W T O ,  h e  s t a t e d  t h a t  i t  h a d  t o  b e  
reciprocated in terms of increased training facilities and their meaningful integration into the global 
economy. He called upon the entire Membership to give a serious thought to that objective. 
1.28.   The representative of Egypt, on behalf of th e Arab Group, congratulated the Government of 
Yemen and the Yemeni people on successfully co mpleting one of the most complicated accession 
processes and satisfying the requirements of WTO Membership after over thirteen years of 
negotiations and following eleven formal meetings and many informal consultations. He 
commended the political commitment by the Yemeni Government to expedite its accession process 
and wished Yemen success.  
1.29.   He pointed out that the benefits of Yemen's accession to the WTO were not limited to 
Yemen but also to other nations. The lowering of tariffs along with the liberalization of investment would create an atmosphere that would attract more investors into the Yemeni market, facilitate 
its development and diversification of its economy and would allow for foreign businesses and 
investors to profit from the process. It was undoubtedly another important milestone on strengthening the multilateral trading system while increasing its transparency and ensuring its universal nature.  
1.30.   As Members welcomed a new LDC, they could draw the lessons learned and could reflect on 
what they could do more to assess their trading partners who were still in the process of accession. The process of accession to the WTO had indeed become an extremely difficult one, 
especially for LDCs. Latest statistics showed that they had twenty-three accessions in progress and 
out of them there were six Arab countries, whic h included two Arab LDCs. He called the Members 
to spare no efforts to continue improving the proc edures to simplify the accession process and to 
enhance the existing institutional mechanisms, including clarifying the definition of transparent 
rules of implementation of the provisions of Arti cle 12 of the WTO agreement. The objectives were 
to provide the opportunity to acceding countries to express their views on the accession process 
and to always avail WTO technical assistance and capacity building prior to enduring the accession 
process according to their needs and developmental priorities.  
1.31.   The representative of Oman said that it was a great pleasure to take the floor to welcome 
the accession of the Republic of Yemen to the World Trade Organization. Yemen was a brotherly 
and neighbouring country with which the Sultanate of Oman had deeply routed relations. The 
accession of Yemen was yet another step towards making the WTO a universal Organization. Yemen’s Accession would integrate the country into the world economy which would benefit not 
only Yemen but all WTO Members. 
1.32.   The Sultanate of Oman looked forward to continue working very closely with Yemen to 
promote trade and economic interests in the forum. He offered his heartiest congratulations to His Excellency Dr. Saadaldeen Talib, the Minister of Commerce and Industry and members of his 
esteemed delegation on that occasion. He also associated his delegation with the statement made 
by Egypt on behalf of the Arab Group. WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  1.33.   The representative of the European Union poin ted out that Members were reaching the very 
last stages of the accession of Yemen. He congratulated Yemen and its Minister for the significant 
achievement. In a context of political insecurity and difficulties, he commended the efforts of the 
country to pass reforms and modernize its internal framework. He encouraged Yemen to continue 
on that path, albeit demanding.  
1.34.   He said that Yemen was given the opportunity to reap the benefits of a strong rules-based 
system ensuring a level playing field for all player s. That accession had set the right conditions; it 
was time for Yemen to take advantage of it. To that end, the EU would continue to lend its support 
with pre- and post-accession assistance amounting to some eight million. Yemen had already benefitted from the EU "everything but arms" regi me. It would continue to do so under the new 
GSP regime to start on January 2014.  
1.35.   He noted that in the process, Members had taken due amount of the specific constraints 
faced by Yemen as a least-developed country. More generally, the Membership remained very attentive to facilitating the integration of LDCs in the multilateral trading system. He said that the 
EU had done the same when it had delivered in  record time on the streamlining of the LDC 
accession guidelines. The EU would continue to promote the WTO as an Organization that was open, inclusive and mindful of those most in need. A number of countries were also knocking at 
the door and many had worked hard, some being very close to the finish line. He said that they 
continued to work actively with the view to moving those accessions resolutely forward. 
1.36.   The representative of the United States said that the day of Yemen's Accession marked the 
end of a long journey for Yemen and he wanted  to congratulate Yemen and to celebrate the 
successful efforts of its negotiating team, its parliamentarians, its government officials especially 
Minister Talib and the lead negotiator Dr Al-Najar, for bringing the negotiations to a successful conclusion.  
1.37.   The adoption of WTO provisions could and did build strong institutions that could have a 
long term positive impact on trade, economic growth and domestic development for LDCs. The accession process was an important tool through which LDCs like Yemen could carefully consider 
the way in which trade could advance economic growth and development. He knew from his 
discussions with Minister Talib and what he had said from his heart, that he had a passion and dedication to build on Yemen's WTO accession, to spur the economic development of his country.  
1.38.   During its accession process, Yemen had demonstrated its commitment to economic reform 
and he believed with these reforms, based on rules and principles that encouraged trade and 
investment, would benefit Yemen and its citizens . But Yemen's WTO accession would also benefit 
the international trading system, giving consumers in a hundred and fifty-nine other countries 
easier access to Yemen's goods, including its world famous honey.  
1.39.   He looked forward to working with Yemen to strengthen the WTO and the multilateral 
t r a d i n g  s y s t e m .  I n  m o v i n g  f o r w a r d ,  h e  l o o k e d  forward to Yemen being able to share its own 
experiences which would be of critical value to WTO Members as they considered additional ways 
to streamline and improve the accession process as it applied to LDC applicants. 
1.40.   The representative of the Kingdom of Sa udi Arabia congratulated the people and 
Government of the Arab Republic of Yemen and th e Minister of Trade and Industry, His Excellency 
Dr Saadaldeen Talib on the conclusion of their WT O accession negotiations and on the approval by 
the Ministerial Conference of Yemen's WTO accession package.  
1.41.   He commended Yemen on its hard work and dedication to achieve such an excellent 
improvement to its economic regime in order to comply fully with the WTO Agreement despite the 
current challenges that Yemen had faced as their achievement would truly contribute to their economic development and the wellbeing of their citizens. Saudi Arabia and Yemen shared a long 
history of trade relations, and his delegation was pleased that Yemen's WTO accession would 
expand multilateral-based trade across the Arabian Peninsula and other WTO Members.  
1.42.   Following thirteen years of negotiations and many meetings of the Working Party, Yemen 
would finally reap the fruits of their hard work . Members knew very well that Yemen's work on 
accession would not end in Bali. When Yemen's Accession Protocol entered into force following its WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  ratification, more efforts would be required to implement the multiple commitments reflected in 
the accession package. Accordingly, Members shou ld ensure that adequate technical assistance 
was offered to Yemen. Saudi Arabia joined Yemen in celebration and reinforced its commitment to cooperate with Yemen as a full WTO Member. 
1.43.   The representative of the United Arab Emirates said how profoundly honoured and 
privileged he was to be in the gathering aiming at adopting, after a long process,  the accession 
package of the brotherly country, The Republic  of Yemen, to the World Trade Organization.  
1.44.   The successful conclusion of the specific accessi on process of an LDC, even if the one size 
fits all principle did not sustain, would reflect positively on other accession processes of LDCs and developing countries. Moreover, it would also confirm the credibility and the universality of the Organization, regardless of the critiques, though very true and constructive, on the process of 
accession related to the fairness of the rules governing the process and its longevity. 
1.45.   Yemen's commitment to the cause of trade liberalisation and the multilateral trading 
system as well as the hard and diligent work over the past years had made the accession 
materialize. The driving force behind that had been the genuine political will, which had helped 
pave the road in front of the negotiators to seal deals of interest to their country. 
1.46.   He commended Yemen for all that it had done to fulfil the conditions of Membership. 
Liberalisation commitments had been scheduled and some had been fulfilled; rules had been 
implemented through major changes made on national regulations in addition to introducing new compliance mechanisms with respect to the multilateral trading rules; and many more were in progress.  
1.47.   The accession process could not have been completed without the full cooperation and 
understanding of Members, the Working Party and the leadership mixed with wisdom of Mr Hartmut Röben who had chaired the Working Party. One could also not forget the role of the 
Accession Division of the Secretariat. Their serv ices and capacity building programmes were of 
importance and they made a difference. 
1.48.   Despite the fact that Yemen had been classified as an LDC facing capacity constraints, and 
besides the complications of the accession process itself in addition to the various serious hurdles 
Yemen had faced in its accession, they had been ab le, driven by determination, to arrive to the 
result on that day.  
1.49.   Yemen's teams in Geneva and Sanaa had worked hard and with dedication to make the 
accession happen. His delegation was quite sure that the result would help in inducing more 
opportunities regarding market access for Yemeni products and services. It would also have an impact on the economic prosperity serving as an added element to help the continuation of setting 
good policies for the development of the economy of Yemen. Consequently, it would directly 
benefit the stabilization policies that Yemen was pursuing. 
1.50.   More accessions would best serve the Organiza tion and the Members. He urged Members, 
for the benefit of all, to simplify and accelerate  the process of accession, without compromising the 
governing rules, and not to impose stringent conditions on countries in accession which would go beyond their development levels. He also looked forward to the active participation of Yemen as a full-fledged Member in WTO.  
1.51.   The representative of Chinese Taipei, on behalf of the RAMs Group, said that it was a very 
encouraging moment, not only for Yemen itself, but also for the WTO and its entire Membership. 
The addition of new Members always enriched the Organization and added to its universality. The 
economy of the acceding Member would also benefit from its further integration into the 
multilateral trading system.  
1.52.   The RAMs Group had always been supportive of new WTO accessions, and the members of 
the group were definitely heartened by the good  news of the accession. He looked forward to 
having an efficient and more transparent process in order to facilitate the accession process of new Members.   WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  1.53.   The representative of India extended its heart felt congratulations to Yemen on the historic 
occasion of its accession to the WTO. He noted that Yemen's accession marked the culmination of 
a long and arduous journey. During that peri od, Yemen had implemented extensive economic 
reforms to bring its trade regime and legislative framework in compliance with the WTO 
requirements. The far reaching commitments underta ken by Yemen were reflective of its faith in 
the multilateral trading system.  
1.54.   As an LDC, Yemen did have huge developmental challenges. He believed that its accession 
to the WTO would lead the way for its meaningful integration into the world trading system, which 
would also contribute towards making the WTO a more open, inclusive and universal Organization.  
1.55.   India and Yemen shared a historic relationship. Their ties were marked by trust, respect 
and friendship. As a consistent supporter and we ll-wisher, India was indeed happy that Yemen had 
been able to overcome all hurdles and had reached the finish line before the Bali Ministerial. He 
conveyed his best wishes to Yemen for the work that laid ahead. He also said that India stood ready to extend a helping hand in the process. He looked forward to working beside Yemen in 
areas of mutual interest. 
1.56.   The representative of Lithuania said that the accession process of Yemen had started 
13 years ago and was successfully finalized that  day. With the accession of another least-
developed country to the WTO, the Organization became even more diversified and universal.  
1.57.   Having gone through the same road itself, Lithuania could testify that while the process of 
the accession to the WTO might be long and demanding, sometimes requiring tough political decisions, the vital lessons learned brought huge benefits to the acceding country. The acceding 
country would go through domestic reforms, which were necessary for all countries to grow, 
develop and prosper.  
1.58.   The accession process could also be seen as a development tool and an opportunity to 
mainstream the gains from international trade in the acceding country’s development 
programmes, to build trade capacity, and to provide a better economic environment for investment and growth. 
1.59.   He believed that Yemen’s Membership in the WTO would be an important step in its 
economic development, ensuring the integration into the multilateral trading system and the 
continuation of the economic reforms. The implementation of the accession’s commitments was as important as negotiating them, therefore, Yemen could count on the support of the WTO Members 
in the process. He hoped that Yemen’s accession was a good omen for more countries of the 
region and least-developed countries to join the WTO in the near future. 
1.60.   The representative of the United Kingdom said that the accessions process had been a long 
journey but one that he hoped Yemen felt had be en worthwhile. The United Kingdom was pleased 
to have co-Chaired the Friends of Yemen Group helping to support political transition – and looked forward to working with Yemen at the WTO as well. 
1.61.   Economic integration had proven to be a key ingredient of development in economies 
across the world. He was confident that Yemen would reap the benefits that came with WTO Membership and he stood ready to support bilaterally and multilaterally. 
1.62.   Yemen’s accession was important also as an indication of faith in a strong multilateral rules-
based trading system that had the WTO at its core. He was heartened to see that so many other 
countries, including least developed countries, were keen to move towards accession in the future. With the accession, and with the agreement that  he was confident Members would reach that 
week, they would leave Bali with a spring in their step and with a WTO that was ready to face the 
future. 
1.63.   The representative of Morocco said that it was a historic time for Yemen and for the rules-
based multilateral trading system as well. After a thirteen year marathon, the finish line had just 
been crossed by Yemen and that accession wo uld benefit Yemen and also the World Trade 
Organization. Accession should remain a strategic priority for WTO. Reaching universality was the ultimate objective of the Organization, because enlarging the rules-based multilateral trading WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  system was an essential aim. Increasing the number of Members would further strengthen the role 
played by the WTO in providing stability and securi ty in the world economy, especially at times of 
financial and economic crisis.  
1.64.   The process for accession by Yemen had been very long, and thirteen years had elapsed 
since the beginning of the process for the brother country, which had spared no efforts in making 
colossal efforts to meet expectations. He congratulated Yemen for the untiring efforts they had deployed in making it possible for the accession process to be brought to its final phase.  
1.65.   Notwithstanding the fact that Yemen was an LDC and notwithstanding the external and 
internal constraints, the Yemeni Government had deployed extraordinary efforts in order to meet 
the requirements of its negotiating partners. It s negotiating package had shown that there was a 
high level of openness of market access as well for goods and services and also those efforts were 
highly appreciated to bring their trading regime an d its legislative structure into conformity with 
the requirements of the WTO. With the accession of Yemen, all LDCs had greater systemic value 
because that was the sign of a developmental dimension of the WTO.  
1.66.   Yemen was turning its back on a period of crisis and it had negotiated a watershed 
advance. Yemen had shown that its democracy was up to the requirements. Members should build upon those achievements and clear the way for progress in the future. It was clear that the 
accession of Yemen would make consolidation possible, strengthening the Yemeni economy, 
sustainable development, and the reduction of poverty. Those aspects would make a major contribution also when it came to the interior security of the country. 
1.67.   The representative of Pakistan noted that there were now 160 Members of the 
Organization, which was a step closer to universal coverage. Members would work closely with 
Yemen to make it easier for the new Member to adapt to the new disciplines of the multilateral trading system. He conveyed his appreciation to the Chairman of the Working Party for his 
leadership and patience on behalf of all Members, officials of the Secretariat, especially the 
Director of Accessions Division, also deserved  commendation. They had worked very hard. 
1.68.   The representative of Zambia welcomed Yemen's accession to the WTO as the 160
th 
Member and the seventh LDC Member to accede to the WTO since the establishment of the 
Organization in 1995. He congratulated Yemen fo r its achievement which had been made possible 
by its unwavering commitment to successfully co ncluding the process of accession despite the 
onerous demands from negotiating partners and the setbacks it had suffered along the way. 
Yemen's accession was long overdue and was worth celebrating. Zambia was grateful that Yemen's 
accession had been prioritized, however, it had been constrained by requests for concessions that went beyond its capacity as a least-developed country.  
1.69.   It was unfortunate to know that some on the list of accessions were making little progress 
partly due to the onerous demands that had been pl aced on them. As had been stated in the past, 
for LDCs to get meaningful benefits from the multilateral trading system, Members should exercise 
restraint when seeking Market Access concessions and commitments from the category of 
countries during the process of accession. It wa s important to ensure that the accession process 
for LDCs was facilitated and accelerated.  
1.70.   Members had tools at their disposal to guide the accession of LDCs to the WTO and those 
should be adhered to. As a recently acceded Member and an LDC, Yemen needed support to 
ensure an effective introduction into the multilateral trading system. It was therefore his expectation that Yemen would continue to be supported by the necessary technical assistance and 
capacity support. On behalf of his government, he fully endorsed the accession of Yemen to the 
WTO since it was important for the inclusiveness and strengthening the rules based multilateral trading system. 
1.71.   The representative of Tunisia said that it was a true pleasure for him to be able to take part 
in the ceremony for the accession of Yemen, a sister Country with which his country had 
maintained a very good and deep cooperation relation in all fields of endeavour. He wished Yemen full success and also the possibility to draw maximum benefit from their accession to the World 
Trade Organization.  WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  1.72.   The event being celebrated that day had deep significance. It meant international backing 
on the part of the World Trade Organization for Yemen in undertaking a transition phase in order to raise the standard of living of its citizens and also to put in place good governance and democracy. Furthermore, for developing countries more largely and also for LDCs, it involved the 
strengthening of the role they played in the pr ocess of expansion of their share in the world 
economy. It also showed a major advancement in the universal nature of the World Trade Organization.  
1.73.   That should not conceal the fact that Yemen had had to wage a very difficult battle over the 
last 13 years. That was the reason why Tunisia was in favour of subjecting WTO accessions provisions, both in matters of substance and form, to a scrutinized examination so that they could be streamlined to facilitate accession of developing countries to the WTO. It was his hope that the 
efforts of the Members could further converge to back  the LDCs in order that they might be able to 
draw benefits from the opportunities of the multilateral trading system. He noted that to make it a r e a l i t y ,  t h e y  s h o u l d  a l s o  b e  a b l e  t o  d r a w  b e n e f i t s  f r o m  s p e c i f i c  m e a s u r e s  t o  s p u r  t h e i r  
development, which was one of the major challenges that the Conference was facing. 
1.74.   The representative of Qatar said that the Yeme ni people had established one of the oldest 
civilizations in the world. They had started world trading activities since early times. Therefore, 
Members should all be proud of the historical moment, which was a clear sign of the collective will 
to deliver tangible results. 
1.75.   He noted that Yemen's journey towards becomi ng a Member of the WTO had been a long 
one, stretching over 13 years. The comprehensiv e and diligent efforts that Yemen had made to 
bring its domestic rules and legislation in line with WTO requirements were highly commendable.  
The package of Yemen’s accession was nevertheless a significant contribution to the multilateral 
trading system and beneficial to WTO Members.  It reflected the extensive work and serious 
commitments Yemen had undertaken for more than a decade. 
1.76.   The State of Qatar was confident that Yemen’s Membership to the WTO would play a 
significant role as part of its overall objective of economic reform. He therefore called on all 
Members to continue supporting Yemen to successfully implement its reform programme and WTO 
commitments on a sustainable basis. He congra tulated Yemen in Arabic: "Mabrook Al-Yemen". 
1.77.   The representative of China noted that Yemen was the seventh LDC to join the multilateral 
trading system since WTO came into existence. It was notable that Yemen had spent more than a 
decade marching into the Organization, a very long journey to walk. However, he quoted a 
Chinese proverb which said, " sweetness often comes after bitterness ."  
1.78.   China's experiences together with those of  many other Members had proven that WTO 
Membership had a significant role in fostering economic growth and advancing social development. 
China had played a humble role in the accession negotiation of Yemen. China had sponsored an LDC programme within the WTO Framework in assisting LDCs to accede into the Organization. 
Yemen had been one of the beneficiaries of the programme. Just the previous day, China's 
Minister of Commerce had signed another Memorandum of Understanding with the Director-General pledging USD 400,000 to the WTO. He ho ped more LDCs would follow Yemen to benefit 
from the Programme.  
1.79.   The Chinese Name of Yemen contained a character which meant door. For Yemen, the door 
was open. He wished great success to the happy Yemen. 
1.80.   The representative of Japan said that Yemen had achieved another success story for LDC 
accessions. He believed that the economic and social development of Yemen had contributed not 
only to better lives of its people but also to peace and stability in the surrounding region. It was his sincere hope that by acceding to the WTO,  Yemen would sow its economic growth through 
expanding trade and investment bringing peace and stability to the country and eventually to the 
region as a whole.  
1.81.   In addition to Japan's strong support to Yemen's accession to the WTO, Japan had been 
supporting Yemen's nation-building efforts through various assistance programmes including the 
development of social and economic infrastructure, humanitarian assistance, and the training of its WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  people including Governmental Chairs. He hoped that Yemen would continue its reform efforts 
which had been done throughout the accession process to further promote trade and investment. He assured Yemen that Japan was prepared to play its role to support its efforts to attain its developmental goals. 
1.82.   The representative of Germany noted that the accession had concluded a long and difficult 
process. There had been 13 years of intensive negotiations, and 11 sessions of the accession 
Working Party, before the accession package had been finally readied. The accession would 
strengthen the universal role of the multilateral trading system; help Yemen to achieve stable 
economic growth; and, make progress on its social development. She pointed out that the European Union had also concluded a bilateral agreement with Yemen on market access for trade in goods boosting trade in g oods between the two regions. 
1.83.   Members owed the Government of Yemen in particular the greatest respect for its 
determination and commitment in pursuing the goal of accession – even at times when national politics had been difficult. Members knew how great the challenge posed by such a process was – 
particularly for an LDC. That was true of the necessary, often very painful national adjustment 
processes and of the need to develop into an effi cient negotiator capable of speaking as an equal 
with other WTO Members, many of which could draw on long years of experience. The WTO 
countries had already promised Yemen that techni cal assistance would continue to be provided. 
1.84.   She was particularly glad that an official from her Ministry, Mr Hartmut Röben, had been 
able to help steer and support the accession process right from the start in his role as Chair of the Accession Working Party. That reflected the grea t significance attached by Germany to Yemen’s 
Membership of the WTO, which was the first accessi on to take place under the leadership of the 
new Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo. 
1.85.   The representative of Lao, PDR joined other Members in extending heartfelt congratulations 
to Yemen on the success of its long journey into WTO Membership. The adoption of Yemen as a 
Member of the WTO was meaningful for the Minist erial Conference in addition to its expected 
successful outcome in the following days. She noted that welcoming another LDC Member to WTO 
made the Organization a step closer towards being more inclusive and universal.  
1.86.   She said that Lao, PDR as a new Member of the Organization had shared a similar 
experience of challenges and efforts that Yemen had gone through involving more than a decade of intensive and comprehensive work. However, she emphasized that despite such challenges, 
Yemen had been able to implement across the board to bring its legislation and foreign trade 
regime into compliance with WTO Requirements. La o, PDR was confident that the effort would be 
beneficial to further develop Yemen. 
1.87.   The representative of Vietnam said that it was a great pleasure for him to witness the 
conclusion of the WTO Accession Process by Yemen in that important event, putting an end to its 
13 years of negotiations. He acknowledged the tremendous efforts of Yemen in most multilateral 
and bilateral negotiations by adjusting domestic laws and regulations in line with WTO Rules.  
1.88.   He believed that Yemen's accession to the WTO would strengthen the multilateral trading 
system. He also believed that the implementa tion of fundamental principles and Yemen's 
commitments would directly contribute to the de velopment of Yemen's economy. He wished to 
foster economic cooperation and trade relations with Yemen for the growth and mutual benefit of 
the two countries. 
1.89.   The representative of the Republic of Korea appreciated the assiduous efforts the Yemeni 
government had made in its accession process since April 2000, including conducting market 
access negotiations and bringing its domestic laws, regulations and practices in line with the WTO rules. 
1.90.   He firmly believed that Yemen's accession to  the WTO could create valuable opportunities 
for economic growth and development not only for Yemen but also for its trading partners. He believed that in its own right and by encouraging other candidates' accession, Yemen's entry into the WTO should benefit all Members and contribute to the strengthening of the multilateral trading WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  system.  Along with other WTO Members, Korea would continue to support the ongoing efforts 
made by Yemen towards its full integration into the multilateral trading system. 
1.91.   The representative of Turkey said he was ha ppy and proud to see Yemen as Member of the 
WTO. This Membership would further enhance the value of the WTO as a universal Organization. 
Yemen, after 13 years of negotiations, would su rely collect the benefits of its hard work. 
Integration into the global trade system and the ne cessary reforms at national level in parallel to 
the process would certainly enhance the welfare of Yemeni People by spurring economic growth 
and development. International trade was the mo st important and positive force in ensuring 
economic growth which would open up new aven ues for Yemen and the Yemeni people as well. 
Therefore, it was for the benefit of developed and developing countries alike that the rules governing the multilateral trading system were determined under the auspices of the WTO. 
1.92.   Although Members still needed to make a breakthrough in the Doha Development Round, it 
was by no means questionable that the WTO was e ssential for the rules-based functioning of world 
trade. By ensuring a fair and transparent tradin g environment, WTO was also an excellent means 
for smaller countries to make their voices heard. He still believed that sooner or later the Doha 
Round of Negotiations would be successfully concluded. He believed it was because Members were comfortable with their ability to work together for the greater benefit of the multilateral trading 
system. Members also knew that, at present, countries could not prosper alone, especially because 
developmental needs of the developing and least- developed countries should be met to ensure a 
levelled economic growth and prosperity. 
1.93.   As of 2012, the total exports of LDCs had been almost USD 206 billion whereas the total 
imports had reached up to USD 224 billion. Obviousl y, the share of LDCs in total world trade had 
to be increased properly. The more LDCs became an integrated part of the world economy and trade, the more prosperous and fair the world wo uld be. Therefore, Turkey had been undertaking 
initiatives to include the LDCs into the multilater al trading system and to share the burdens of the 
LDCs in their efforts to eradicate poverty.  
1.94.   Turkey, as a developing country with a growing economy, had always been ready to take 
the necessary responsibility to conclude the Doha Round in a balanced manner. In line with 
Turkey's generous stance in favour of the LDCs, it supported the initiatives that favoured these countries. As a country which had taken upon itself responsibility of putting LDC-related topics high on the agenda of the international communi ty, Turkey was determined to assist the other 
LDCs in both their accession processes as well as their Membership.  
1.95.   As the 7
th LDC Member of the WTO, Yemen's Membership should motivate the other LDCs 
to become an integrated part of the World Trade System by becoming a WTO Member. Once 
again, he welcomed Yemen and expressed his pleasu re at the prospect of working together with 
the country in the WTO. 
1.96.   The representative of Jordan said his delegation was happy to see a new LDC Member come 
on board the WTO and in particular because it was one of them, an Arab Country. Jordan looked 
forward to welcoming new Members to confirm the universality of the Organization.  
1.97.   In addition to bilateral and multilateral negotiations carried out in Geneva and other 
Capitals, the acceding country had a huge responsibility on its shoulder. They had started with 
public awareness and then had gone through toug h negotiations with the domestic consequences 
in mind which could include amending or passing new legislations. That was tough.  
1.98.   He noted Members had the responsibility to sh ow flexibility by understanding the needs of 
the country in accession. When a country in accession sought a transitional measure or a grace 
period, it should be given. The development ne eds and the developmental level of a country in 
accession should also be given serious consideration in the negotiations.  
1.99.   As an LDC, Yemen had invested much in its accession process and had worked very hard 
during the last 13 years to complete its accession to the WTO. He congratulated Yemen for concluding the Market Access Requirements with their own bilateral and multilateral agreements 
with interested WTO Members.  WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  1.100.   He associated himself with the statements made by the Arab Group and the RAMs Group 
in welcoming Yemen as a new Member. He hoped to welcome more LDCs and other countries on 
board. He looked forward to seeing the rest of the Arab countries in accession as new Members to the WTO soon. 
1.101.   The representative of Trinidad and Tobago, sa id that, in the view of his Government, the 
accession of Yemen, which had originally applied for Membership back in April 2000, represented a 
useful addition to the Membership in general, and to the LDC grouping in particular. This was not 
only positive for the WTO but should also inspire the Membership to find a solution to the 
challenge that they faced in Bali during the week. 
1.102.   He noted that Yemen's accession package included wide ranging commitments governing 
laws and measures to ensure that its trade regime conformed with WTO rules. He further 
recognized that the commitments impacted on areas such as: (a) the functioning of state 
enterprises; (b) trading rights; (c) other duties and enterprises; (d) elimination of quantitative; 
(e) adjustment to fees and charges by government; (f) tariff bindings; and (g) intellectual 
property. 
1.103.   His Government could identify with the aspirations of the Government of Yemen, as it had 
moved to improve the livelihood and well-being of its citizenry. Having taken an objective look at 
the accession experience of Yemen, which had take n some 13 years to materialize, it had seemed 
blatantly clear, notwithstanding the decision taken at a previous Ministerial Conference to improve 
the accession process for LDCs, that the WTO should continue to review the accession process, in order to simplify it and make it less onerous and more efficient, particularly for the weaker 
acceding Members. 
1.104.   He therefore wished Yemen a smooth and successful transition into the Membership and 
conveyed Trinidad and Tobago's willingness to discuss how they might cooperate in areas of 
common interest, with a view to attaining mutual goals and fulfilling individual aspirations.  In 
closing, he wished to offer hearty congratulations to the delegation of Yemen on their accomplishment.  
1.105.   The representative of Algeria, speaking as an Observer, said that the harvest period had 
begun. The accession of Yemen was a positive ou tcome of the Conference. Yemen's accession was 
the outcome of long, diligent efforts throughout arduous negotiations carried out in such commendable fashion. It would contribute to the acceleration of Yemen's development without any 
doubt whatsoever in the well-being of its people and the improvement in general of that part of 
the world and its participation in the multilateral trading system.  
1.106.   He commended Yemen for completing the accession process. He also encouraged 
Members and the Secretariat to continue to do their utmost to be flexible and diligent to achieve 
other new accessions which would also consolidate the multilateral nature of the WTO. 
1.107.   The representative of ITC, speaking as an IGO Observer, noted that Yemen's accession 
process had been a long journey which had begun in 2000. Yemen had finally reaped the fruits of 
its endurance and commitment to the process. It gave her a special sense of satisfaction that the ITC had contributed in a modest way to Yemen’s efforts to seek WTO Membership. 
1.108.   The ITC had been pleased to collaborate with the WTO in reaching out to stakeholders 
including the private sector in Yemen to help them understand the business implications of WTO 
Membership. In several dedicated sessions conducted over the last 3 years, the ITC had assisted the Government of Yemen to build stakeholder conf idence in their negotiated accession package. 
The ITC had also facilitated participation of parliamentarians and the private sector representatives 
in Yemeni negotiating teams to enable them to appreciate the significance and opportunities of WTO Membership. 
1.109.   The dedicated sessions with the private sector stakeholders had provided an opportunity 
to discuss Yemen’s accession related commitments and the business implications in an open and transparent manner, also addressing specific co ncerns and clarifying misunderstandings. Any 
successful accession process had to place communication and collaboration with the business WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  community at the heart of the internal in-country process and it had been clear that the 
Government of Yemen had recognized the importance of that.  
1.110.   She also congratulated the Yemini private sector represented by the Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry for supporting their Governme nt’s efforts. She recognised their foresight 
in appreciating the promise held by WTO Membership in securing their country’s economic 
development in the long term. Without their constructive engagement with the government in the process, national consensus would not have been easy to achieve. 
1.111.   She knew that the Government of Yemen was already thinking ahead in terms of ensuring 
their businesses, especially the SMEs, could benefit from the opportunities which accession provided. She assured the Minister of Yemen that the ITC had stood ready to continue to assist 
Yemen to enable it to adjust to the new enviro nment and use the accession as a path to growth 
and development. 
1.112.   The Ministerial Conference took note of the statements and expressions of support. 
1.113.  The Chairman then invited Minister Talib to join the Director-General at the signing table to 
proceed with the ceremony for the signature of the Protocol of Accession.   
1.114.  The meeting adjourned at 6 p.m. 
_______________ 
 
 WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  ANNEX 
EXPRESSIONS OF WELCOME BY DELEGATIONS TO THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN 
At the request of the delegations concerned, the following statements are included below as part 
of the Summary Record of the Ninth Ministerial Conference. 
 
1  ARGENTINA 
1.1.  The Argentine Republic warmly welcomes the Republic of Yemen. 
1.2.  The accession of new Members to the Organization is always important, and yet these 
accessions acquire even greater importance when  they involve least developed countries that 
enhance regional representation within the WTO. 
1.3.  The developing world needs to add new voices to those that already exist if it is to meet the 
challenges of the 21st century and find joint solutions that contribute to the social and economic 
development of the world's population. 
1.4.  We recognize the enormous effort that is required from least developed countries to accede 
to the Organization, and therefore very much a ppreciate all the work that Yemen has done. We 
join other countries in calling for more collaboration and the facilitation of the accession process. 
1.5.  We also hope that the presence of this new Member will help to transform the WTO into a 
fairer and more balanced multilateral organization. 
1.6.  We congratulate the Republic of Yemen on  the successful conclusion of its WTO accession 
process. 
2  COSTA RICA 
2.1.  Costa Rica would like to congratulate Yemen on the successful conclusion of its WTO 
accession negotiations. This is a fundamental step forward   we are certain that you will benefit greatly from it, and that it will help you to integrate into the multilateral trading system and the 
global economy. 
2.2.  Yemen's accession to this Organization brings us even closer to the WTO's goal of becoming a 
universal organization in which all Members, large or small, are equally involved in critical 
decisions. 
2.3.  It is our pleasure to welcome Yemen, and we  look forward to working constructively with its 
representatives as from next year to strengthen the multilateral trading system. 
3  DJIBOUTI 
3.1.  On behalf of the President of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Mr Ismaël Omar Guelleh, and my 
country's Government, I would like to reaffirm to Yemen in the strongest terms our unreserved support that has accompanied its efforts throughout the long process of accession to the 
World Trade Organization. 
3.2.  We commend the laudable efforts of th e Government of Yemen, which has made vast 
progress since 2000. It has introduced the reforms recommended to bring its economic regulation 
system into line with the provisions of the WTO Agreements, and has provided a concrete basis for 
market access negotiations. 
3.3.  The Republic of Djibouti, which shares historical values and enjoys friendly and fraternal 
relations with Yemen, welcomes this accession as a strong, positive and clear signal which reflects WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  Yemen's commitment to participating in the global economy within the framework of a rules-based 
trading system geared towards development. 
3.4.  This accession is an important step towards achieving the country's objective of 
strengthening regional integration and pursuing its integration in the global economy. 
3.5.  I urge the WTO to provide all the necessary  expertise and its customary technical assistance 
in order to support Yemen and facilitate its integration into production structures and international trade networks. 
3.6.  I take this opportunity to stress the enthusiasm that this accession has inspired in Djibouti 
where, like Yemen, trade is strongly rooted in our common culture and in the memories of our populations. 
4  IRAQ 
4.1.  On behalf of the government of the Republic  of Iraq allow me to present our congratulation 
to his Excellency minister Gita Irawan Wirjawan, Mi nister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, for 
chairing the Ninth Ministerial Conferen ce of the World Trade Organization. 
4.2.  It is a great honour for me to be allowed this opportunity to address this distinguished 
gathering on behalf of my Government. 
4.3.  Allow me Mr. Chairman, to present my Government sincere congratulation for the 
Government and the People of the Republic of Yemen for joining the World Trade Organization 
following their accession to its convention during this Conference. 
4.4.  Excellencies, distinguish delegates ladies and gentlemen, 4.5.  Over the past months, my government at different levels have worked closely with the 
relevant departments at the World Trade Organization to accelerate the process of accession. 
4.6.  Our efforts were directed at identifying existing gaps in our national legislations which 
requires new legislative process in order to bring them in line with WTO’s standard and 
requirements. 
4.7.  We very much appreciate the continues assistance, technical support and advises presented 
to us by the technical and accession divisions at WTO which includes technical advises to different 
departments at the Iraqi Ministry of trade . 
4.8.  The work of  WTO officials have been highly appreciated including their gaudiness in 
assessing several areas many of which considered technically highly complex during the ongoing preparation of the Goods and services offer , which we are planning to present to WTO in the 
coming months, with view to start our bilateral negotiation with WTO’s respectful members.  
4.9.  To sum up, my Government is making pr ogress in working closely with WTO to review, 
assess and update the Iraqi schedules of Goods and services with view of bringing them in line 
with WTO standard. 
4.10.  Meanwhile, we continue to seek the assistance, support and technical advises of relevant 
departments at WTO. We also like to thank those member stated which continue to assist us in 
developing and enhancing our national capacity in this area. 
4.11.  We aspire for continues close cooperation with all members states to join the World Trade 
Organization in the forcible future. 
4.12.  With this sprit, my Governments, wishes all the participating delegations a very successful 
and fruitful deliberation in this Ministerial Conference. WT/MIN(13)/SR/4 
 
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  5  KENYA 
5.1.  The Government of Kenya congratulates Government of Yemen for having successfully 
completed the accession process and subsequently joining the WTO as its 160th Member. We complement Yemen for putting in place domestic reform programme  aimed at aligning its trade 
policy regime with the WTO multilateral norms.  In this regard Kenya calls upon the international 
community to assist Yemen carry out its domestic reform process with view to implementing its multilateral commitments.  
5.2.  The admission of the Yemen is a historic milestone and it projects the WTO as a truly 
universal organization. We note and appreciate  the challenges that Yemen has gone through 
leading to the accession. It is on this background that we applaud the accession as an opportunity to expand the number of the WTO players conducti ng trade along the contiguity of the Indian 
Ocean and which has been going on for the last 1000 years. This is therefore to convey Kenya’s 
intention to encourage Yemen to join existing Regional Cooperation such as the Indian Ocean Rim to which Kenya will gladly to support. 
5.3.  The increasing of countries joining the WTO is an indication of the growing of the multilateral 
trading. As a new member Yemen should seize the opportunities created by the WTO multilateral trading system to boost its trade with rest of the world. Kenya stands ready and is willing to help 
to benefit from system. 
6  LIBYA 6.1.  The Libyan Government and the Libyan pe ople have great honour to extend their warm 
congratulations to the Sisterly Yemen Country and to the people of Yemen, and to 
H.E. Mr Bentaleb. The Minister of Industry and Tr ade, for their Profile success to the accession to 
the WTO.  
6.2.  The accession of Yemen to the WTO has grea t happiness and good impact in the heart of the 
Libyan people as Libya shares Yemen the same po sition and stand of struggling to eradicate the 
dictatorship regimes and achieving Democracy and Freedom.  
6.3.  The Yemen people became now a real happy people by gaining the membership to the WTO 
in its new era of Democracy and freedom, which will be great help for its development. The 
accession of Yemen country would give motivation to some Arabic Spring countries to access to WTO which should encourage them to restore their position in the International Community. 
__________