WT/MIN(13)/ST/55  
5 December 2013  
(13-6711)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: French  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR ABDELWAHEB MAATAR 
MINISTER OF TRADE AND CRAFTS 
TUNISIA  
Meeting here today in this beautiful city, we are enjoying the generous hospitality of the 
Indonesian authorities to whom I extend, on behalf of the Tunisian Republic, our deepest 
appreciation. 
Our task is to examine all the provisions contained in the "Bali Package" with a view to approving 
them. 
And yet, paradoxically, we are torn between th e fear of failure and everyone's determination 
to do their utmost to safeguard the future of the WTO. 
In fact, weighty issues are at stake in the minimum package submitted to us for approval, which 
will have definite consequences in terms of the substance, mechanisms and rules of multilateral international trade. 
I must emphasize that Tunisia, despite going through a difficult post-revolution transition phase, 
with all that this implies in terms of mobilizing national resources and international assistance to address unemployment, the trade deficit and soci al inequality, has no great difficulty, barring 
a few exceptions, in approving the entire package for want of anything better. 
Nevertheless, given our commitment to the international community and our natural solidarity 
with our fellow countries, in particular the least-developed among them, we consider that in terms of the development needs, integration and legitima te historical demands of developing countries, 
the minimum Bali Package is far from adequate or satisfactory; it needs to be improved if our 
common goal is still to ensure that everyone, every country, benefits in a legal, win-win way from multilateral trade. 
Indeed, it is clear that ground has been lost  in relation to the Doha Agenda, the notion 
of the single undertaking has almost been abandoned, the conditionality link has eroded, and special and differential treatment has not been consolidated; in short, the hopes of regulating international trade that were generated in Doha in 2001 have been seriously damaged. 
This, ladies and gentlemen, is a truth expressed in various ways by the majority of delegations 
here. 
But does this mean we should just  walk away and give up all hope? 
We do not think anyone expects this to happen and such a scenario should be avoided at all costs. 
Are we not all obliged to cooperate with each other in this global village? Are the modes, rules and mechanisms of trade no t basically a reflection of the difficult world 
economic situation which has prevailed for years and which is now marked by a recovery that 
is slow in coming? WT/MIN(13)/ST/55 
 
- 2 - 
 
  This is precisely one of the reasons for the difficul ties in the actual preparation of the Bali Package, 
and it explains the lack of flexibility of some and the rigid stance adopted by others in respect 
of a certain number of issues considered to be of critical importance. 
My country is under no illusion as to the outcome of this Conference. The main thing for us is not 
to blight the future. On the contrary, we hope to take advantage of this Conference in Bali 
to ensure better prospects for the future by building the strongest possible bridges for the post-Bali period and by agreeing, as of now, on  a roadmap that is clear, precise, concrete and 
above all capable of definitively integrating the development dimension into all aspects 
of multilateral trade, under the auspices of our organization, the WTO, which we all value highly. 
Before I conclude, I would like briefly and directly to raise a number of points of particular interest 
to my country. 
First, the request of the League of Arab States to be granted observer status at the 
Ministerial Conference and in the General Council and its subsidiary bodies. 
Secondly, Palestine's request for permanent observer status in the WTO. 
Lastly, the request that Arabic be introduced as a fourth official WTO language. 
I reiterate Tunisia's position in support of these requests, as well as my Government's 
commitment to consolidating the role and mandate of the WTO, thus reaffirming that the success 
of this Conference will restore the WTO's strategic function as a productive forum for multilateral 
trade negotiations and a bulwark against unilateral and plurilateral protectionism.  
__________