RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/TF/M/10 
15 November 2005 
 (05-5342) 
Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation  
  
 
 
SUMMARY MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
 
Held in the Centre William Rappard
 
on 24-25 October 2005  
 
Chairman:  Mr. Muhamad Noor Yacob (Malaysia) 
  
1. The Chairman
 explained that the main purpose of th e meeting was to prepare the Negotiating 
Group's report to the TNC for the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference.  Delegations would also be 
able to briefly introduce and react to new submissi ons. Furthermore, Members would be invited to 
admit relevant international organizations, including the IMF, OECD, UNCTAD, WCO and the 
World Bank, to attend the next meeting of the Group on an ad hoc basis.   
2. The agenda was adopted . 
A. PREPARATION OF THE REPORT TO THE TNC  FOR THE HONG KONG MINISTERIAL 
CONFERENCE  
3. The Chairman  recalled the deadline for presenting input to the Hong Kong Ministerial Report 
and the resulting need to arrive at an understa nding on its shape and components by the end of 
October.  He said that while good progress had alre ady been made in identifying key parameters of 
the negotiations' targeted outcome and the requirement s for its realization, it was now time to translate 
this general consensus into an agreement on the concrete elements  of the Trade Facilitation package 
for inclusion in the Group's report for Hong Kong.  It  was necessary to capture  the headway that had 
been made since the launch of the negotiations a nd also to seek guidance from the Ministers on how 
to bring them to a successful conclusion.  He stressed the importance of focussing on technical assistance and capacity building (TA&CB) and speci al and differential (S&D) elements as key 
components still requiring further determination and sp ecification.  There was also a need for swift 
action in light of time constraints.  He emphasized  that the process was a Member-driven one and that 
it was his intention to have everyone on board;  whatever document the Group submitted would have 
to be a consensus decision involving all Members.   
4. As indicated at the conclusion of the last meeting, the intention was to adopt a book-end 
approach. After adopting the agenda and addressing new submissions, the meeting would adjourn to 
allow maximum time for delegations to consult with  each other on the report, in whatever format.  
The meeting would then be reconvened in formal m ode on the afternoon of the next day to share the 
outcome of those consultations on the shape and content of the Group's submission for the Hong Kong Ministerial.  The Chairman would be availabl e on request to meet with delegations, with the 
WTO Secretariat also being ready to assist whenever needed.   
5. The representative of India
 introduced his delegation's submission TN/TF/W/68, informing 
that it outlined India's idea of a cooperation mechanis m for customs compliance.  The paper dealt with 
exchange of trade transaction information consis ting of data elements a nd documents that were TN/TF/M/10 
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 usually collected by customs at the time of importa tion or exportation.  India envisaged that this 
mechanism would come into play in a limited number of cases where specific information was 
requested on account of a valid ground to doubt the truth or accuracy of a declaration. 
6. The envisaged mechanism proposed to exchange specific information upon request on matters 
such as customs valuation, HS classification, orig in, description and quantit y of goods in certain 
identified cases.  The request for information would be  limited to the data elements contained in the 
import or export declaration or to exchange documents  filed in support of a goods declaration.  Such 
information would be used to aid inv estigative and/or judicial processes. 
7. India did not propose to supplant the existi ng bilateral mechanisms with a multilateral 
mechanism.  Instead, India foresaw  the mechanism to complement existing bilateral mechanisms.  
Bilateral mechanisms normally had a much broa der and comprehensive mandate for cooperation 
whereas the multilateral mech anism was expected to be more simple  in coverage, and yet effective in 
meeting the needs of compliance. 
8. The paper also proposed a methodology for coope ration.  India had presented a simple and 
efficient methodology.  The first point to note was that the request for information would be made 
only after necessary internal verification, so that  information was not requested for in a routine 
manner.  Second, the information requested would be  such that it could be readily obtained from the 
export or import documentation.  The request fo r supporting documentation would be limited to 
documents which were usually in the possession of th e customs administration since they were filed 
in support of a goods declaration.  Third, request  for information would be through a designated nodal 
agency of each customs administration so that qualit y and quantity of the request was controlled.  All 
this was meant to ensure that the request for information was not unduly burdensome for the 
administration of the requested Member.  Other elem ents of the methodology were matters of detail 
which had been elaborated in the paper. 
9. The paper also set out what would be the c onfidentiality requirements for the information 
exchanged.  India proposed that such informa tion would be subject to a confidentiality clause, 
namely, that the information supplied should not be di sclosed except to the extent required in judicial 
proceedings.  It had to be highlighted that, in th e normal course, declarations presented before the two 
customs administrations were based on identical information.  Hence, one customs administration 
should not refuse in a routine manner to share in formation with another customs administration on 
grounds of confidentiality.  Further treatment of su ch requested information should be in terms of a 
confidentiality clause to the extent that this would not be disclosed except in the course of judicial 
proceedings.  A general principle in this regard c ould be that such information shall be accorded the 
same degree of confidentiality by the receiving Memb er that it applied to similar information in its 
custody.  One should be mindful that a confidentiality clause should not prevent the use of such information in judicial proceedings.  
10. As the proposed mechanism of information excha nge was to be applied in few cases, it should 
be limited to transaction data and documents already available with customs and was expected to be 
through existing administrative infrastructure su ch as an enforcement agency.  Although India 
assessed that the needs of TA would be minima l, they were open to discuss this further. 
11. The mechanism would be very useful and would support the Negotiating Group's work of 
simplifying trade procedures to benefit the compliant  traders and to build suitable safeguards against 
non-compliant ones.  India believed that a satisfa ctory outcome on the third objective of Annex D 
would contribute to an overall bala nced outcome of the negotiations.   
12.
 The representative of Bolivia  provided her delegation's prel iminary reactions to India's 
proposal.  She recalled that India and the Unite d States had presented the first proposal on the  TN/TF/M/10 
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 exchange of information at the July meeting of the NG (TN/TF/W/57), outlining basic points  
regarding the establishment of a multilateral m echanism for exchange of information among 
Members.  At that time, many doubts had been expr essed regarding the final objectives, the types of 
problems which it attempted to solve in terms of ex change of information, confidentiality, and other 
points.  India's recent contribution responded to what the functions of that mechanism would be and in 
what cases it would be used. 
13. Bolivia understood that the WCO’s database model would be taken into account.  It was also 
observed that, as a first step, multilateral cooperation between customs authorities could be part of the 
gradual progress to involve all entities involved in tr ade facilitation.  It was obvious that, increasingly, 
customs administrations, at least in the Latin Amer ican region, had enhanced, improved and increased 
bilateral negotiations.  However, these mechanisms had limitations in their coverage.  Therefore, 
Bolivia was in favour of going forward with a complementary additional international mechanism 
which would get rid of delays and obstacles.  With regard to the methodology, the type of information 
to be exchanged, and the goals of such acti on (such as confirmed authenticity and value of 
documents) through a nodal agency, with each Memb er making a respective notification to the WTO, 
Bolivia considered the suggested approach to be a realistic one, based on the practices of the WTO.  
There was an element of flexibility in asking that the request be made electronically or in writing, 
which was in line with the resources at the dispo sal of the customs authorities.  Furthermore, the 
introduction of a confidentiality clause would give  more confidence to the operators involved.  
14. The representative of Senegal  said that the contents of India' s submission were very important 
in terms of having more fluid and liberalized trade.  The areas covered in the proposal, and forms of 
cooperation chosen, were elements currently dea lt with in the framework of the World Customs 
Organization (WCO).  Value, nomenclature and or igin matters were well-known in the WCO, and 
WCO Members already enjoyed that kind of coopera tion when dealing with customs techniques. He 
therefore wondered about the line of demarcation between the work of the WTO and that of the 
WCO.   
15. The representative of the United States  stressed that the absence of the United States' name on 
India's latest submission was not to be read as anyt hing other than the fact that the US had been busy 
over the last two weeks with putting together its own submission on another topic.     
16. Like others, the United States welcomed India's proposal and would study it further.  Certain 
issues of practicality, confidentiality, efficiency and of the overall aims of the Group's work had to be 
addressed.  There was no doubt that the Group had to advance on this element of the modalities, and 
his delegation looked forward to workin g with others towards that goal.  
17. The representative of th e European Communities  said that India's proposal fell squarely 
within the mandate of the negotiations.  His delega tion would be happy to work further on the details 
of the proposal.  The EC's basic objective would be to  define more clearly the circumstances in which 
the mechanism could be used.  The European Commun ities would want to see this kind of recourse to 
the data of the exporting country as the last resort rather than the first port of call for customs.  
Consequently, if the Group was going to define th is proposal more clearly, the EC would want to 
work with India, and others, to ensure that it w as indeed a last-resort measu re, used exceptionally only 
where all domestic procedures had demonstrably b een exhausted and where bilateral agreements 
either did not exist or did not provide the po ssibility for this kind of mechanism for obtaining 
information.  With those caveats, the EC was ready to work with India further on the proposal in the 
coming months. 
18. The representative of the Philippines  welcomed the further elaboration of an earlier 
submission on this subject, and said that her dele gation would cooperate on further refining the 
proposal.   TN/TF/M/10 
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 19. The representative of Japan
 appreciated India's further clarifications on the earlier India-US 
proposal on the subject. What needed to be studied  further was the implication and influence the 
proposal would have on domestic systems.  Japan sh ared most of the issues raised by the EC, but 
wished to seek further clarification on one poi nt.  India's paper placed emphasis on the use of 
information in the judicial process.  In the case of  Japan, when informati on was provided which could 
be used in the judicial process to other countri es, that information should be provided through the 
channels of mutual assistance conventions through j udicial authorities.  Japan had to further consult 
with its judicial department colleagues on the pro posal and would then like to discuss it further.  
20. The representative of Pakistan  appreciated India's very specific supplement to their earlier 
proposal submitted jointly with the United States.  The exchange of information was very important, 
but of equal importance was that this exchange shou ld be a timely one.  Pakistan therefore wondered 
whether India envisaged any reasonable period of ti me to provide the information mentioned in the 
proposal. 
21. The representative of Chinese Taipei  welcomed India's proposal, which was generally 
supported by Chinese Taipei because it shared the view  that existing arrangements for the exchange of 
information through bilateral agr eements were quite limited in na ture.  Establishing a multilateral 
mechanism or customs cooperation could therefore make a good contribution to simplifying and liberalizing border control to expedite clearance.  Chinese Taipei wished to consult with capital to 
review the details of the paper and would also like to work with India on the development of future 
work.  
22. The representative of Switzerland
 agreed that India's proposal fu rther clarified the contents of 
their earlier submission.  Switzerland shared the view s expressed by the EC and was also interested in 
working together with India, and others, in a ddressing the third objective of the negotiations.   
Although this was a very sensitive subject for Switzerla nd, since there were some constraints in Swiss 
national legislation and regulations , Switzerland was interested in working further on the proposal.  
Switzerland was also clearly privileged to handle such  issues in bilateral agreements but would further 
study the contents of the proposal. 
23. The representative of India  expressed his delegation's appreci ation for all Members who had 
responded to the paper and who had generally been supportive of the approach outlined therein.  He 
hoped that a more substantive discussion could take place during the next meeting. 
24. With respect to Pakistan's ques tion about the reasonable time period within which information 
could be expected, India shared the view that re questing administrations should have some ideas as to 
what would be the timeframe within which they c ould obtain this information.  But, in India's 
understanding, these issues could perhaps be discussed  further during the negotiations.  Therefore, 
India had only flagged this in paragraph 7 of the pa per whose last sentence said that "[I]t would be 
desirable to lay down a reasonable time limit for furn ishing information so that the requesting country 
is assured of a response".  India was willing to work with Members regarding the actual figures.  
25. With respect to the question by  the European Communities, India appreciated the points made 
by the EC and fully supported their understanding that , to the extent possible, this mechanism should 
be some kind of a last resort rather than the firs t port of call.  India had therefore suggested that 
internal verifications be completed first before requests should be made. 
26. Regarding the EC's suggestion that this me chanism should come into effect only where 
bilateral mechanisms did not provide an opportunity  for such exchange, India had some concerns as 
one could not have some kind of conditional commitm ent in the WTO.  Therefore, if there was a 
multilateral mechanism for exchange of information and a country request for information under such 
a mechanism, in normal circumst ances the other country could not  refuse the information on the  TN/TF/M/10 
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 grounds that they already had a bilateral mechanism .  India understood  that countries which had a 
bilateral mechanism might choose to first use the bila teral route.  But an up-front prohibition of this 
kind would go against the grain of general sche mes of multilateral commitments undertaken in the 
WTO. 
27. The third point to which he wished to respond concerned the question raised by Senegal as to 
why the Group was doing something which was already be ing done in the WCO.  This issue had been 
discussed earlier. Nothing discussed  in the Negotiating Group was new.  Many of the proposed 
clarifications to GATT Article VIII also existed in  one of the WCO's conventions.  That should not 
prevent the NG from discussing the same issues because the NG was a body which represented more 
the trade interests.  There were also certain benef its of creating disciplines in the WTO, rather than 
leaving the matter to be dealt with in the WCO.  The same applied for proposals on the establishment 
of a cooperation mechanism. India looked fo rward to further discussing its paper.  
28. The representative of Egypt  introduced his delegation's paper on the reforms carried out in the 
customs area, which were part of a larger package of economic reforms (TN/TF/W/69).  Egypt believed that for customs reforms to succeed, there was a need for them to be part of a larger 
framework of economic reforms.  The paper brie fly described the reforms and measures undertaken 
by customs over the last two years which were rele vant to the modalities of the TF negotiations and to 
GATT Articles V, VIII and X.  The measures would be further deepened in the future.  Some of the 
reforms that had been carried out up to date had helped reduce clearance times of shipments imported 
to Egypt to between 2-6 hours and had also decr eased litigation between customs and operators in 
general.  Some of the features of the highlighted  reforms were the introduction of a Single Window at 
certain customs points, particularly in Alexandria, Suez and Damietta.  Egypt hoped to introduce this 
mechanism at further customs points as it continued with its reforms. 
29. Also included in these reforms were measures that  related to pre-arrival release, which were 
also being introduced at several customs points, account management services for large importers and operators, and what was known as "advance customs centres".  At those advance customs centres,  
many of the computerized operations took place as part of a wider programme of e-customs that 
Egypt hoped to have in place in the future.  Techniques such as risk management and account 
management services and -operations that fell with in the Single Window as a whole were being used 
in these centres. 
30. The representative of Peru
 considered Egypt's paper to be extremely useful.  The process 
outlined therein had already been in place in many c ountries for the past few years.  Peru's experience 
– which would be provided in writing at a later time  – was similar in certain aspects.  Peru Customs 
had started to be reformed in the 1990s with the process of modernization (involving several of the 
elements contained in Egypt's pape r, particularly regarding the Si ngle Window) still continuing.    
31. Peru was thankful to the World Bank for ha ving organized a national seminar which had 
brought together a national group on Trade Facilita tion, including representation from Geneva.  The 
seminar would make it possible for Peru to analyz e in greater detail the proposals tabled in the 
negotiations so far and would also make it possible fo r Peru to play a more active role in determining 
the priorities and needs not only for Peru, but al so for the whole Membership.  The seminar had 
provided an opportunity to hold an extensive dialogue  with customs authorities and also with many of 
the real players who dealt with customs and related procedures on a day-to-day basis.  There had been 
an opportunity to talk to national government author ities as well as to official s from the private sector 
who were able to provide their own views and pos itions regarding what the negotiations in the NG 
Group should be.  This had revealed the importance of  the negotiations, demonstrated the need to be 
realistic regarding what could be done in the future , and had shown the true priorities that had to be 
identified.  With the help of technical assistance  from other countries and institutions such as the 
World Bank, one could move forward a nd thus be able to cope with th e reforms that were still needed TN/TF/M/10 
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 before Peru customs could become ever more compet itive and efficient.  There were many similarities 
between Egypt's case and Peru's.  Peru shared ma ny of the views that had been expressed on these 
points.  With the help of the mentioned seminar, Peru was able to identify the goals to be achieved 
and the mandate to be given to its authorities in Hong Kong so as to move forward in the negotiations 
in the best way possible. 
32. The representative of the Dominican Republic
 said that Egypt's paper was very useful and 
would be carefully studied.  The Dominican Repub lic intended to discuss the issue with Egypt and 
would try to learn from their experience.  His delega tion also was of the view that the paper improved 
the Dominican Republic's proposal set out in TN/TF/W/60.  Every input on how to provide a better climate for customs, how to clarify Articles V, VIII and X, and how to fight corruption was useful and 
should be taken into account and reflected in the out come of the negotiations.  Egypt's paper set out 
an important element.  It not only clarified the Articles, but also contributed to facilitating international trade, which was part of a broader customs reform process, and of economic reform.  
This should be taken into consideration. India's paper was important, too, as it concerned one of the 
elements that should be taken into consideration,  i.e., ethics and corruption, which had also been 
mentioned in document TN/TF/W/60.  His delega tion would examine India's proposal which should 
be taken into consideration. 
33. The representative of South Africa
 welcomed the papers by Egypt and India.  Egypt's paper 
was very useful.  The more country experiences were available, the more Members were able to learn  
how countries had approached the things Members were  trying to agree on in the NG.  It also allowed 
to focus on aspects such as the co sts of these measures, the time required to implement them and the 
resources necessary.  Studies by international orga nizations such as the World Bank, the WCO and 
the OECD were also useful in sharing country e xperiences.   The OECD, for instance, had done a 
study on automation of customs which had show n that necessary capacity building (CB) was not 
limited to support for setting up that system, but extended to support for long-term maintenance to 
keep the system functioning.   
34.  India's paper was equally important and welcome.   Picking up on the point raised by Senegal 
about the demarcation between WCO and WTO, South Africa wished to express its belief that the NG 
should, as much as possible, try to use what had b een developed already.  A lot of work had been 
done, especially in the WCO, on the question of excha nge of customs data.  Me mbers could take what 
was already available and try to improve it.  Intern ational organizations should also be able to assist 
with respect to concerns expressed with regard to the exchange of customs data, confidentiality 
aspects, inter-operability of systems and possible burdens for countries.  It would  be useful if 
international organizations could look at how different countries had dealt with this, what type of 
measures could be put in place and what kind of tools they could recommend.  
35. The representative of the European Communities  said that the results of Egypt's 
comprehensive reform programme had been extrem ely impressive.  Reducing the number of disputes 
between customs and trade from 35 per cent to less th an 1 per cent was an impressive decline in the 
number of problems in this area.  
36. The EC concurred with Egypt that a lot of pr ogress had been made with this programme.  The 
Communities had been a major donor to Egypt in this area through a programme called "the Trade 
Enhancement Programme" and was very pleased with the results of this technical assistance.  It had also been a very good example of cooperation between not only the European Communities and the 
Egyptian Government but also the United States and the World Bank, all of whom had been 
cooperating and coordinating very well in the development of this  customs reform programme.   TN/TF/M/10 
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 37. The programme was directly related to the nego tiations.  It was the prospect of developing 
multilateral commitments in the WTO that had prompt ed the European Communities in the first place 
to propose the launching of this important ai d programme on customs and trade facilitation. 
38. The representative of India  considered Egypt's paper to be useful and suitable for advancing 
the NG's work. Coming from a developing country, the experiences of modernization and 
simplification were always most welcome.  They  offered an insight into the kind of areas which 
developing countries considered important to unde rtake to simplify and improve their domestic 
systems. 
39. From that perspective, India considered paragra ph 15 to be very informative and useful.  This 
experience sharing helped Members see what kind of enabling environment and what infrastructure 
development was needed to undertake the simplifi cation that would bring the required results.  
Paragraph 14 was important and usef ul in showing what modern infrastructure and equipments Egypt 
had put in place.  More information was sought on how the Single Window system had been operationalized. Section A of the paper did not o ffer descriptions as to what kind of Single Window 
system had been put in place.   
40. The representative of Egypt
 said that his delegation had not tried to reinvent the wheel when 
introducing those reforms.  Rather, Egypt had been  looking very closely at the different reforms 
undertaken in other countries and experiences gained  from them.  What Egypt had tried to do was 
merely to look at the best practices and put them together. 
41. The experience was still at its beginning.  Egyp t had started those reforms intensively two 
years ago as part of a wider reform programme.  With respect to costs, Egypt had found the reforming 
of customs to be quite costly as it dealt with differe nt authorities.  The major cost factor was the cost 
of re-training the personnel and for building the cap acity of the people working with the operators. 
42. Contributions that had made those reforms possible had come from many countries around 
the world and from international organizations, which was much appreciated by the Egyptian 
Government.  The Egyptian government itself was inves ting a lot in those reforms in terms of money, 
commitment, and political vision of what Egypt had to achieve.    
43. With respect to India's question about the Single Window, he informed that it had been 
introduced as a separate pilot project in differe nt customs points with more scheduled to be 
operational in additional venues in the coming moths.  The idea was to introduce certain elements of 
the full Single Window system that other, more advanced, countries such as Singapore had talked about.  
44. Egypt was introducing automation in those opera tions and a risk management system using 
pre-clearance procedures.  An account management  service was also put in place for most of those 
operations.  Those projects were at the pilot stag e for the time being, becau se they had only been 
introduced a few moths ago, but feedback received so  far indicated that things were proceeding quite 
well, given that the time of clearance was reduced drastically and litigation cases had notably declined 
as well.    
45. The representative of the United States
 introduced his delegation's submission on US 
assistance provided on trade facilitation, explaining that  the paper contained two parts.  The first one 
was a brief overview of the report's elements with  the second part then listing the respective activities 
in an annex.  What the US had attempted to do wa s to set out in detail the nature of its technical 
assistance in the area of trade facilitation.  As the paper indicated, as of 2005, technical assistance 
provided by the United States went over the one billion dollar mark, with trade facilitation assistance 
being the fastest growing and larger share of this support. TN/TF/M/10 
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 46. The paper had four annexes. One was a list of country-specific funding provided.  The second 
part showed funding by regions and category.  The third section listed specific projects by country.  The final annex related to what was known as the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), under 
which framework a new programme had been launc hed that would significantly increase continued 
US contributions to trade and capacity building and presented real opportunities in terms of US 
contributions related to TF.   
47. In the interest of time, the US had decided not to comment on the Egypt paper but welcomed 
it.  It was a contribution that went along the lines of the US contribution in equally intending to inform about one's work.   
48. The US wished to contribute to what they hoped and sensed to be an intensification of efforts 
towards meeting the part of the negotiating mandate re lating to TA.  It was in that context that the 
States had shared some of its experiences, in particul ar with some of its FTA partners.  As in the case 
of the TF negotiations, the integration of TA had b ecome new territory also in the context of those 
FTAs.  The US wished to share something that ha d worked and involved u seful learning processes.  
49. The point mentioned by the EC about c oordination taking place between donors was a 
challenge.  The US had made its submission in rec ognition of some of the real practical challenges 
that Members hopefully had begun to take up  in some of the informal engagements between donors 
and recipients, trying to figure how to accomplish th e mandate.  This implied solving some practical 
problems related to questions of monitoring, e ffective assessing of needs and deciding how one was 
going to ensure that coordination continued to be improved.    
50. The representative the European Communities
 considered the US paper to be a very useful 
contribution to the TA&CB aspect of the NG's mandat e.  The EC was very pleased to see the strong 
and ongoing commitment from the United States on providing technical assistance.  The EC would like to draw attention to an interesting WT O/OECD Report on TRTA which had been published 
recently.  It was an annual Report by the OECD/DAC Committee and the WTO on trade facilitation.  The points made by the United States corresponded very closely to what that report was saying. 
51. First, the report observed that assistance to trad e facilitation had risen sharply and consistently 
in recent years, particularly since the launching of negotiations.  It was saying that there had been very 
large increases in assistance in trade facilitation, not  only for capacity building but also in relation to 
infrastructure, and concluded that the assistance being provided in this field was "meeting the long-
term capacity building and infrastructure needs of partner countries".   
52. It was very welcome to see, both in the United States' paper but also more generally in the 
WTO/OECD Report, that the international community  seemed to begin to deliver substantially on its 
mandate in the negotiations to improve and increase  technical assistance.  The EC wondered whether 
this report, or parts of it relating to TF, could somehow be made available to the NG as it contained 
extremely useful information which demonstrated th at the effort on TRTA was really picking up.  
53. The representative of Tanzania
 welcomed the paper by the United States which merited 
Members' consideration.  By way of a preliminary reaction, the Tanzanian delegation wished to draw 
attention to a few points.  
54. Commenting on the US paper's reference about TF assistance being the fastest growing and 
largest share of total United States support for TRTA, Tanzania wished to draw attention to page 173 
of the Annex which listed assistance provided fo r Tanzania.  While his delegation was very 
appreciative of the support, one failed to identif y direct linkages to the elements of TF under 
negotiation in Geneva.  Similar obser vations could be made with respect to programmes carried out in 
support of Tanzania's neighbours, such as Kenya.  Page 149, for instance, listed a programme aimed  TN/TF/M/10 
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 at expanding maize products for trade, training farm ers to meet larger volume contracts with large 
traders.  Another programme lis ted on page 175 for Uganda equally showed the assistance being 
directed to supply-side constraints.  Clarification was therefore sought from the US whether the element of supply-side constraints had to be included as an element of negotiation.  
55. The representative of the United States
 considered it important to remember that the US paper 
aimed at setting out how the US grouped assistance in the area of trade facilitation.  What the US had 
intended was to reach an area that not only in cluded customs operations  but also touched upon 
infrastructure assistance, abilities to  increase market opportunities, the development of IT, basic 
enhancement of networking with businesses, as well as some of the elements contained in various 
regional trade agreements to advance regional economi c integration.  This was heavily linked to the 
question of trade facilitation.     
56. The examples raised by Tanzania included ma tters such as working on tariff barriers, export 
procedures and trade policies of the government of Tanzania, covering also work on the regulatory environment.  While some of those aspects were pe rhaps not closely linked to the negotiations in the 
narrow sense, the US considered it necessary to have a better understanding of what assistance was 
being provided and how it related to the NG's overall agenda. That was the purpose of the US 
submission.  Contributions by other Members were  welcome and could be useful for getting the 
engagement going by recipients as well as by donors. 
57. The representative of India
 welcomed the advance copy of the paper from the United States 
on technical assistance.  India was struck by the scale and depth of technical assistance being provided, ranging from seminars to full scale devel opment of institutions and the development of 
specific areas.  It was useful to know what ki nd of technical assistance activities donors were carrying 
out.  The US paper usefully laid out in great detail the kinds of activities undertaken. 
58. It might be useful to have a somewhat shorte r version of the document, more tailored to the 
negotiating subject.  This could help Members identify areas of possible interests with respect to TA which could support the NG's work during its late r phase when technical assistance and capacity 
building issues got a somewhat more concrete shape. 
59. The representative of Uganda
 welcomed the paper by the United States and thanked the US 
for the assistance provided to Uganda, which did no t only cover the area of trade facilitation but 
extend to the domain of supply-side constraints.  TF should not stop at customs procedures, documentation, or publication, but should stretch into other constraint s which inhibited trade.  Uganda 
was glad to see the work carried out at its airports .  Work was also being carried out at border posts 
where delays in getting merchandise to where it should be caused numerous problems to traders.  
60. The US paper was an eye-opener and pointed out the direction in which Members should 
move when negotiating trade facilitation.  Uganda, for instance, had had problems related to sanitary 
and phytosanitary measures as a result of mishandling its fish at the landing sites, leading to the 
European Union refusing Uganda's fish.  Uganda had to quickly try to improve the handling of fish at 
those landing sites.  Thankfully, the European Un ion had offered support, as well as Japan, offering 
assistance by providing running water, toilet facilitie s and by providing facilities for carrying ice to 
the landing site.  This was an area which might not fall within the mandate of the negotiations but was 
very important to Uganda.  
61.  Uganda had been pushing the NG to look into the question of storage at airports.  In many 
LDCs, some flights were cancelled when fish, flow ers or fresh vegetables were being taken to the 
airport.  Cancellation of flights without having ha ndling and storage facilities available at the airport 
caused serious problems, leading to the merchand ise having to be thrown away.  Uganda would 
therefore like to see trade facilitation support touch t hose areas as well, particularly with regard to TN/TF/M/10 
Page 10  
 
 providing cold storage at the airports and between the inland country to the port of exit.  Uganda 
would like to see more work in trade infrastructur e, including on roads and railway lines, because they 
could all stand in the way of small countries when it came to exportation and even importation.  The 
US paper was very useful. Uganda appreciated their work, not only with respect to customs, but also 
in areas such as supply-side constraints.  
62. The meeting was suspended
.  
63. Reconvening  the session, the Chairman  recalled that, as had been agreed the previous day, it 
was his intention to invite delega tions to report on the outcome of their consultations – in whatever 
format they had taken place – on the shape and content of the Group's report for the Hong Kong 
Ministerial Conference.   
64. The representative of Canada  expressed appreciation for the way in which the Chairman had 
organized the meeting over the last two days which had allowed delegations to  engage informally to 
get a better idea of what Members were looking for.  It had also allowed Canada to refine its own 
thinking in respect of the product for Hong Kong.  Canada considered that the Group had made 
extremely good progress in the negotiations so far a nd wished to see that reflected in the report to 
Ministers.  In this regard, Canada wished to see a very robust product go forward.  Key to that 
objective was capturing Ministerial guidance directi ng the Group to pursue text-based negotiations 
post Hong Kong, looking towards a multilateral set of commitments.  
65. It could be useful to illustrate to Ministers the amount of work that had been done by having 
some kind of illustrative list of what potential comm itments could be covered in terms of Articles V, 
VIII and X.  This would certainly be without prej udice to any new proposals being put forward or the 
further refinement of already existing ones.  Key for the Hong Kong product would be a reaffirmation 
of Members' commitment to SDT and TA&CB, and to confirm that they were an integral part of the 
negotiations.  This should be re flected in a balanced way.  
66. The representative of India  also expressed his delegation's appreciation for the way in which 
the Chairman had organized the meeting, allowing  delegations to inter act amongst each other and 
discuss ideas, and also to reflect on what ot hers had in mind for the work ahead.   
67. India's overall approach for the Hong Kong produc t regarding TF was that, since a lot of good 
and constructive work had been done, Ministers shou ld encourage the Group to continue working in 
that direction.  There was no need for a very prescriptive declaration laying down a very defined 
roadmap for future work.  If there had to be a roadmap,  it should be more implicit rather than explicit.   
68. Regarding the elements of the declaration, India' s preference was for there to be a reference to 
the proposals already on the table in terms of the compilation, encouraging Members to continue 
refining and clarifying them regarding the issues and ideas raised in the course of the discussions with 
a view to having a satisfactory outcome for everyone .  Since TA&CB were an important part of the 
negotiations, it would be desirable that specific refe rence be made to having a renewed focus on this 
area.  This focus should be in terms of the Anne x D modalities, to enable developing countries to 
effectively participate in the negotiati ons and to implement their outcome.  
69. India also wished to point out that, while work had been going well, developing countries 
might still not have completed their work of pr eparing proposals for the negotiations because of 
resource and capacity constraints.  The declaration should therefore recognize that developing countries and LDCs would be free to continue ma king new proposals during the further work of the 
Negotiating Group.  The declaration should have a fi nal objective that the outcome of the negotiations 
be balanced and take account of all the different elements set out in Annex D.  TN/TF/M/10 
 Page 11 
 
 
 70. The representative of South Africa , speaking also on behalf of Botswana, Lesotho and 
Namibia , said that two things had to be referred to in the report for Hong Kong: (i) progress made so 
far, and (ii) further mandate to proceed with the work. 
71. Looking at the different aims of the negotiations , different things had to be reflected. With 
respect to improving and clarifying Articles V, VIII and X of GATT, note should be made that 
progress had been achieved in this area with refe rence to the compilation of proposals.  Ministers 
should further give a mandate for further work to be done in this area in order to complete the work. 
72. On TA&CB, Ministers should: (1) note the initia l discussions that had been conducted on this 
subject. Simply restating Annex D's references to  capacity building might not be enough. Rather, 
Ministers should give a mandate to the Group to continue work in this area, with emphasis on 
ensuring a comprehensive capacity-building approach, starting with a diagnostic analysis of needs and 
finishing with an implementation evaluation;  (2) state that CB should be continuous and should be 
provided during the negotiations, during the needs an alysis, and during the implementation phase;  (3) 
consider establishing a coordinating mechanism for,  amongst others, the management of multilateral 
funding to aid CB;  (4) state that CB should include support for infrastructure development. 
73. With regard to cooperation between customs a nd other border agencies, Ministers should note 
the initial discussion in this area and give a mandate for further work to be done, using as a basis tools 
that had been developed in other international orga nizations for this work to be carried forward. 
74. The representative of Tanzania  expressed his delegation's appreciation for the way in which 
the Chairman had conducted the meeting.  Tanzan ia now felt that the para meters regarding trade 
facilitation had already been negotiated.  These negotia tions should now be translated into an agreed 
package for Hong Kong.  Consensus was now needed  on the scope and structure of the outcome.  
Consensus was also needed on wh at principles and possible commitm ents the package would contain 
and how they might work in practice.  Since it had been agreed that TF would benefit all WTO 
Members and be a win-win approach, any outcome should contain a level of comfort for all Members with the focus being on improvements, not penalties. 
75. Tanzania felt strongly that the outcome of the negotiations should lead to adequate technical 
assistance and support for capacity building.  There should also be an opportunity to influence the 
content of the outcome in terms of transparency a nd inclusiveness, along the lines of the way in which 
the Chairman had already been conducting the negot iations.  Capacity building should be recognized 
as an intrinsic element of trade facilitation and fundi ng must be adequately pr ovided and coordinated 
through the WTO and WCO, or an umbrella orga nization, including relevant major donors.  
Improvements must be sustainable and the results s hould be measured by, for instance, benchmarking. 
76. On diagnostic studies, such as the ones initia ted through the self-assessment questionnaire and 
the inventory of needs and priorities, these should be followed by action plans and recommendations.  This might also necessitate a study to assess the level of development reached by different WTO Members.  The identification of needs was very  important and had proven to be necessary when 
trying to consult with other delegations.  CB shoul d include financial, human and technical aspects, 
and the declaration should take into account matters  of interest to landlocked countries, such as 
Tanzania, which handled transit trade for several la ndlocked countries.  These countries would need 
financial assistance regarding infrastructure to support  TF.  Furthermore, transition periods should be 
clearly defined and, if possible, generous.  Finall y, an economy's failure to implement a commitment 
should first lead to mediation to ascertain whether it was caused by a lack of capacity. 
77. The representative of Argentina
 said that the meeting had been very useful for exchanging 
ideas and views on the product to be provided for Hong Kong.  It was a good time, prior to the 
Ministerial meeting, to carry out a joint assessment of what had been  achieved in the negotiations.  An TN/TF/M/10 
Page 12  
 
 initial element of the report would be a factual part dealing with the progress made within the 
framework of the negotiations.  Within the compilati on, one had to look at the substance and at the 
points which had been discussed and presented within the framework of the negotiations in order to 
give a clear signal that progress had been importa nt and balanced.  This could be seen by the 
numerous proposals tabled in connection with sp ecific measures, including those on S&DT, TA and 
those that dealt with how the agreement should be implemented in accordance with Annex D.   
78. One of the guidelines to be given was that ther e should be a refocusing of the Group's work.  
Certain priorities had to be made, an important on e being the question of how to implement a future 
agreement on TF.  This would obvious ly have repercussions on specific me asures.  In order to be in a 
position to decide on what measures should be incl uded in the text, the NG had to refocus the 
discussions and focus on the absolute essentials.  Th e Group could not really continue to discuss 
specific ideas until it had a clear picture as to how the agreement on trade facilitation should be 
implemented.  The text of the future declaration should be faithful to Annex D and the principles and 
the links established therein.  Annex D was  pa rt of the text which could not be touched. 
79. The representative of the European Communities
 joined others in expressing appreciation for 
the way in which the Chairman had organized the work  of the Group.  The EC felt that what the Chair 
was hoping to get from Members was some suggesti ons and guidance on how a report to Ministers 
might be shaped on the basis of the work that ha d been carried out in the Group, and some ideas on 
how that work should continue af ter the Hong Kong Ministerial.  Th e EC had been consulting with a 
large number of delegations and felt that the interven tions made already by India, Canada, and others, 
very much reflected some of the things the EC w ould encourage the Chair to include in a report from 
the Group to the Ministerial Conference. 
80. The EC certainly agreed with the need to register the extremely good progress that had been 
made to date in the negotiations and the very tran sparent and inclusive way in which this work had 
been carried out.  Beyond that, it would be importa nt that, while obviously not seeking new mandates 
or seeking to change the Group's perfectly good mandat e, a new impulse be given to the work in the 
phase after Hong Kong.  The EC wished to see an in tensification of the negotiations and a progressive 
sharpening and refocusing on what the Group was working on.   
81. The process had been, and remained very much , a Member-driven one.  For the EC, that 
meant that, as the Group moved forward in its nego tiations the following year, any negotiations to 
develop commitments on TF should continue to be based on Members' proposals as currently set out 
in the compilation.  That document was a basis for moving into a "text-based" negotiating phase in 
2006.  At the same time, the EC would agree with I ndia that it should not be an exclusive or closed 
list.  There should be still opportunity for Members,  notably those with limited resources, to come 
back next year with revisions and new proposals with in a mandate.   Also, it went without saying that, 
if the compilation was to be used  as a basis for the Group's work, that had to be without prejudice to 
Members' views on the acceptability of individual proposals that had been made. 
82. Furthermore, the EC also agreed with the delegations that had said that any report to 
Ministers and any recommendations for the next ph ase of work should also recognize and reflect the 
fact that S&DT was an integral part of the negotia tions and had to be taken into account as regards the 
extent and timing of any future commitments.  That  point needed to be recalled and reiterated.   
83. The EC agreed with the point by India about gi ving direction and that any roadmap that might 
be elaborated should remain implicit or general.  What the Group wanted was a roadmap and not a set 
of road blocks.  In this regard, the Chair would have to strike a balance between giving guidance and 
direction which allowed the train to move in a r easonably rapid manner, but at a speed and in a way 
which kept all Members on board, leaving nobody standi ng at the station as the train left next year.  A 
balance had to be found in terms of the orient ation given for the next phase of the negotiations.  TN/TF/M/10 
 Page 13 
 
 
 84. A key role in the negotiations was the techni cal assistance dimension which would have an 
even more important part to play in the implemen tation of any future commitments.  As such, there 
should be a very strong reflection in the report to  Hong Kong of the TA dimension to the negotiation 
process.  The EC also hoped that Ministers could ta ke note of the good progress made in terms of the 
provision of TA both for the negotiating phase and for the important implementation phase.  There 
had been ample evidence that Members had take n, and were taking that aspect of the mandate 
extremely seriously.  His delegation also hoped that  the NG could agree to intensify the work on TA 
in 2006.  What was needed was a more intensifie d systematic process of transparency, information 
sharing, coordination of efforts between donors, r ecipients and international organizations.  Donors 
and international bodies could also usefully be urge d to intensify their efforts in helping Members 
better identify their needs and priorities in the ne gotiations which was an important part of the 
mandate. 
85. The representative of the Philippines , speaking on behalf of the Core Group , joined others in 
expressing appreciation for the very transparent a nd inclusive way in which the Chair had conducted 
the negotiations over the past year-and-a-half.  The Co re Group also shared the view that any report to 
Ministers should acknowledge the progress made in th e negotiations.  While reference could be made 
in the report to TN/TF/W/43, the Core Group also wi shed reference to be ma de to the summary of 
questions and answers that had been very helpful in assisting capital authorities in understanding and 
analyzing the impact of the various proposals put forward so far. 
86. The Core Group also agreed that a second elem ent should be a call by Ministers for more 
progress in 2006.  There was need to synthesize and refine the agreement-specific proposals made to 
date and to be tabled after Hong Kong, and to arrive at their furt her understanding in order to achieve 
Annex D's objectives.  There was also need to inte nsify deliberations and di scussions relating to S&D 
and the integral components of TA&CB.  Th is would necessarily include issues on how to 
operationalize S&D and TA&CB components in any fu ture agreement, and would also address the 
key issues of increasing discussions on needs assessmen t and identifying how these needs assessments 
would be conducted both during the ne gotiations and, if necessary, afterwards.  It further extended to 
formulating potential implementation mechanisms  and to discussing issues of coordination among 
donors and other international organi zations such as the WCO, and other funding agencies, as well as 
to discussing issues relating to institutional support before and after any agreement to be reached.  
87. These issues should be the focus of the discussi ons post Hong Kong in or der to intensify and 
ensure the necessary balance, as called for by Annex D.  The Core Group shared the view and 
aspiration of other delegations that, at some point, text-based negotiations would commence.  
However, the Core Group believed th at the addressing of the issue s hould be implicit rather than 
express in order to continue the very positive and constructive way in which the negotiations had been 
conducted.  There was need for further intensified discussions post Hong Kong to arrive at a clearer 
picture and more synthesized proposals on Articles V,  VIII and X, and to ensure the balance required 
on the issues of S&D and operationalizing TA&CB which were an integral part of the negotiations. 
88. Finally, the Core Group wished to point out  that trade facilitation was an important 
component of ensuring the development dimension of  the Round. Given the progress made so far, the 
NG was paving new ground on how to ensure that this  dimension was incorporated in the negotiations 
which could be a pattern for other aspect s of WTO negotiations in the future. 
89. The representative of Nepal  appreciated the constructive and transparent way in which the 
Chair had conducted the negotiations.  Countries lik e Nepal considered TF as an important area for 
discussions and negotiations.  Substantial progress had been made so far in presenting and discussing 
proposals.  An analysis of their implications and cl arifications should continue  to fully understand the 
comprehensive impact of the proposals and of th e ability to engage in meaningful trade. TN/TF/M/10 
Page 14  
 
 90. One of the important features of Annex D had been the emphasis on TA&CB and S&D, 
provisions which had significant implications for Ne pal.  Nepal would like to use these provisions to 
enhance its capacity to trade with the least delay a nd with least costs.  Ministers in Hong Kong should 
therefore reiterate that needs and priorities of  developing countries and LDCs be given due 
importance in the work of the NG.  Support and assi stance to identify needs and priorities would be 
important in view of the capacity constraints faced by countries such as Nepal.  In that context, Nepal 
also wished to emphasize that more, enhanced , dedicated and sustained programmes should be 
developed to deal with TA&CB issues during and after the negotiations.  If progress was to be made 
in the area of TF, in the true spirit of Annex D, th ere had to be an enhanced and dedicated programme 
of assistance for LDCs.  Similarly, trade facilitation infrastructure was very important for LDCs and 
landlocked countries to enhance their trading capacity .  Therefore, Nepal would request that trade 
facilitation infrastructure be included for TA in or der to meaningfully enhance the integration of 
LDCs into the international trading regime.  
91. Nepal supported India's suggestion that, in view of the continuous examination of proposals 
and the constraints faced by many delegations in an alyzing their details, there should be an option of 
putting forward further proposals at a later stage.  Similarly, Nepal shared the view that striking a 
balance when talking about a roadmap was crucial.  All countries had to be brought on board and their 
interests and concerns taken into account while moving forward in the negotiations. 
92. The representative of Chinese Taipei
 echoed the appreciation expressed by others for the 
transparent and inclusive manner in which the Ch airman had conducted the meeting.  In Chinese 
Taipei's view, the main objectives of the report to the Hong Kong Ministerial Meeting should be (i) to 
communicate the status of the negotiations and (ii) to seek guidance from Ministers on how the 
negotiations should proceed after th e Hong Kong Ministerial.  On the first point, the compilation of 
proposals in TN/TF/W/43/Rev.4 was used as a worki ng document.  These proposals still needed to be 
thoroughly streamlined for the final report that was to be submitted to Ministers in Hong Kong.  The 
condensed version of the compilation was not yet an end document.  It reflected merely the current 
stage reached in the negotiations.  It was important that it was seen as being without prejudice to any 
negotiating positions that Members might take in the future. 
93. S&DT for developing and least-developed Members, as well as TA&CB were critical 
elements of the negotiations. More time was needed to work out the final concrete commitments on 
S&D and TA&CB.  Annex D provided Members with  a suitable framework for making some solid 
commitments on these issues.  Chinese Taipei would lik e to see this reaffirmed in the report. Based on 
the progress made to date, and in order to keep  up the momentum, Members should be looking for 
Ministerial guidance to help move negotia tions of multilateral commitments forward. 
94. The representative of Paraguay  said that the way in which the Chair had conducted the 
Group's meetings had been appreciated particularly by smaller delegations.  Paraguay wished to see 
something balanced emerge from Hong Kong and believed that the following elements should 
therefore be included in the report.  First, a rea ffirmation of the commitment contained in paragraph 
27 of the Doha Declaration and in Annex D, as well as recognition of the progress which had been 
made on the basis of Members' contributi ons within the framework of the NG.  
95. The report should also include instructions to initiate, as soon as possible, negotiations on the 
creation of a text based on the Secretariat's compila tion.  The rights and obligations of all Members 
had to be taken into consideration.  The Hong Kong  language should also contain an instruction that 
the results of the negotiations reflect adequate treatment of the elements set out in Annex D, 
particularly with respect to S&DT and TA&CB.  It would be necessary to clarify that the commitments emanating from the agreement to be adopted could only be requested in so far as 
Members could truly count on the necessary capacity for their implementation.  The commitment to 
provide TA was something that should be underscore d.  This should be done as far as possible to  TN/TF/M/10 
 Page 15 
 
 
 ensure that developing countries, and more partic ularly LDCs, were in a position to apply measures 
which would form part of a possible agreement emerging from the negotiations. 
96. Finally, there should be a statement on the impor tance of assessing the n eeds and priorities of 
developing countries and LDCs, and th at TA be made available to ensu re that this could be achieved. 
97. The representative of Malaysia  wished to share his views on wh at the elements for the draft 
text for Hong Kong should be without prejudging th e outcome of the negotiations.  First, reflection 
should be made of the good progress achieved over th e past one-and-a-half years.  The active and 
constructive engagement of Members, both fro m the developing and developed countries, had 
contributed significantly to the process moving ahead. 
98. Second, on the treatment of elements proposed , Malaysia saw the measures and elements 
proposed on strengthening GATT Articles V, VIII a nd X as a living and non-exhaustive list to be 
negotiated upon post Hong Kong.  Malaysia wa s open to the idea of making reference to a 
synthesized compilation of TN/TF/W/43/Rev.4 or of  having a broad illustrative list of core measures 
that presented to Ministers the work in progress without prejudice to individual Member's positions. 
99. Third, the development dimension would have to be an integral part of the text.  Malaysia 
would like to see instruction by Ministers on the in tensification of negotiati ons on S&D elements and 
effective provision of TA&CB to ensure a favour able outcome for developing and least-developed 
countries.  These elements would suffice to guide Ministers on the post Hong Kong process with respect to negotiations on trade facilitation.   
100. Malaysia reiterated that it was committed to the TF negotiations and was prepared to work 
with the Chairman and other Members to refine  and move the trade facilitation process further. 
101. The representative of Mexico
 said that the meeting was of great use for the preparation of the 
Ministerial report.  A positive message had to be c onveyed to Hong Kong.  Mexico therefore agreed 
that, first, note should be taken of the progress made so far.  
102. Second, without closing the door for any new proposals delegations might wish to make, 
Members should be encouraged to move to text drafti ng.  With respect to the text, this should also 
take into account the S&D and TA&CB elements of Annex D, elements that had been raised by a 
number of Latin American countries in recent meetings. 
103. With respect to matters of substance, Mexico had taken note of the proposal by Canada about 
the possibility of there being a list of measures.  That  could be a possibility.  Alternatively, reference 
could be made to the compilation of Members' proposals without that being the only basis for negotiation.  All of this should be w ithout prejudice to Members' positions.  
104. The representative of Brazil
 wished to recall that the work of the Negotiating Group was not 
being carried out in isolation.  Brazil saw the H ong Kong results for the NGTF also in the context of 
the results in other areas, especially with  respect to the negotiations on Agriculture. 
105. Very good work had been done in the NGTF ove r the past few months.  While there were 
divergent positions in other Groups, positions expressed  by delegations in the NGTF were more or 
less the same.  The Hong Kong Declaration would be a good opportunity to reflect this and to reflect 
the good work that had been done.  Apart from noting the progress that had been made, it would be important to have some guidance on the Group's work for the following year.  That would mean refining the proposals that had already been tabled  and advancing the Group's work.  Whether this 
was put explicitly or implicitly, all Members were  thinking about designing future commitments.  
Brazil would not have a problem with either using a list of indicative issues or making reference to the TN/TF/M/10 
Page 16  
 
 compilation by the Secretariat.  What was important was that the door should not be closed for future 
proposals next year.  It was important to give dele gations the opportunity to come back with other 
proposals and to express their views.   
106. This more prescriptive part of the Declaration should be balanced by a second part in which 
language should be used from Annex D, recalling th e importance and the role of S&D, which was an 
integral part of the negotiations, and recalling the importance of TA.  One idea would be to use the 
Declaration to recall important elements of Anne x D, particularly paragraphs 2, 4, 5 and 6, 
specifically concerning the idea that the scope of  commitments should be commensurate with the 
capacity for implementation by developing and least -developed countries, the idea that this capacity 
for implementation should be determined in accord ance with trade facilitation needs and priorities, 
and the idea that TA&CB should help develo ping and least-developed countries implement 
commitments resulting from the negotiations.  A good combination for the Declaration would be to 
have a balance between the more prescriptive part a nd the conceptual, but also prescriptive, part of the 
elements of Annex D. 
107. The representative of China
 said that, since the establishment of the NG, trade facilitation 
negotiations had been proceeding in a very positive way.  To take note of this, the following points 
should be addressed and reflected in the Group's report. 
108. First, the good progress that the Group had ach ieved.  Second, a balanced reflection of the 
measures and improvements the NG had made.  Third, TA&CB was a very important and 
fundamental element in the negotiations, not only in the negotiating process itself, but also in the 
future negotiations and in the implementation peri od.  Fourth, some Members' difficulties in the 
construction of infrastructure and the problems that  they would face in the implementation period 
should be addressed in an appropriate way.  Fifth,  due account should be given to the active role of 
relevant international organizations in the future  negotiations, such as of the WCO, the World Bank 
and UNCTAD.  Finally, the report should address th e question of how the negotiations should be 
oriented post-Hong Kong period.  The negotiations had to continue in an active and positive way. 
109. The representative of Bolivia  said that the Hong Kong Declaration should reflect the progress 
made.  It should encourage delegati ons to continue their work based on Annex D.  It would also be 
important to express satisfaction with the proposals made by all Members.  The critical mass of proposals from developing, developed countries, and LD Cs showed the high level of commitment and 
involvement.  This meant that the NG would be in  position to convey a message that would show how 
it could move forward, taking as a starting point Members' proposals without prejudicing the results 
of the negotiations.  The NG would certainly have  other proposals from Members to consider next 
year.  It was important that the Hong Kong Declar ation led to strengthening the TA&CB aspects of 
trade facilitation and needs and priorities in this ar ea.  This would involve ongoing consultations both 
during negotiations and afterwards.  Furthermore, the Declaration must refer to S&D treatment.  This 
would be a way of highlighting the importance of the balanced nature of the negotiations. 
110. The representative of Indonesia
 highlighted his delegation's view s on the elements of the draft 
declaration, without prejudging the outcome of the negotiations.   
111. First, Indonesia recognized the good progress that had been made in the negotiations.  
Second, Members should be encouraged to continue discussing the compilation of proposals.  Third, since TA&CB and S&D were very important for developing countries, Ministers should encourage 
Members to intensify work in these areas, and focu s on helping developing countries during and after 
the negotiations.  Fourth, the outcome of the negoti ations should be balanced and should reflect a 
development dimension.  TN/TF/M/10 
 Page 17 
 
 
 112. The representative of Nigeria  supported the statement by the Philippines on behalf of the Core 
Group.  Concerning the product for Hong Kong, Nigeria was of the view that the process should be transparent, all inclusive and c onsensus-based.  The report to Ministers should be a factual one, 
reflecting the state-of-play in the negotiations.  Re ference should be made to  TA&CB, since this was 
an integral and important part of the work pr ogramme, to S&D treatment, and to the development 
dimension of the Doha Round.  The report should al so reflect the work that had been done and the 
progress made as well as the need for further pr ogress to achieve the objectives of the mandate 
contained in Annex D.  The negotia tions should result in a win-win situ ation and be beneficial for all 
Members.  Nigeria stood ready to work with the Chairman and othe r Members to achieve substantial 
progress before and after Hong Kong. 
113. The representative of Switzerland
 said that the following elements should be reflected in the 
text to Ministers.  First, it should register the good progress made.  Ministers should also be asked to give a mandate to pursue the discussion on the thr ee objectives of the negotiations as set out in 
paragraph 1 of Annex D.  Ministers should instru ct the Group to base its work on Members' proposals 
as set out in the compilation document that would be  continually updated.  For this purpose, a 
synthesized form of the compilation document could be  drafted and annexed to the Ministerial text.  
The text should also state that the list was neither a closed nor an agreed list and would, therefore, not 
prejudice Members' positions.  This should be seen as a general disclaimer and not one made on a proposal-by-proposal basis.  The text should provide some kind of roadmap. In particular, Ministers should urge Members to rapidly proceed to draftin g a legal text while taking due account of the 
relevant work of the WCO and other relevant in ternational organizations in the area of trade 
facilitation.  Finally, the text should reflect the im portance of development-related issues contained in 
Annex D and focus on an effective implementati on mechanism with the objective of ensuring long-
term implementation capacity of all countries. 
114. The representative of Kenya
 shared the view of there being a need to strike a balance between 
the various elements contained in the modalities.  Members had to achieve a balance between the 
clarification process that had taken place on Articles V, VIII and X and on TA&CB and S&DT.     
115. Regarding the clarification of Articles V, VIII and X, Ministers' attention should be drawn to 
the substantial progress that had been made in te rms of submission of proposals and discussions on 
the three areas of clarification.  In terms of pr ogress, it should not be implied that there had been a 
convergence on the issues that had been discussed.  There were still a number of issues requiring 
further clarification.  For that reason, Kenya e nvisaged the continuation of the current progress of 
discussion after Hong Kong.  The process of consu ltations with relevant stakeholders and the 
evaluation of the proposals as to their implication was still taking place on a number of issues at the 
national level.  It was for that reason that Kenya envisaged the continuation of the current discussions 
after Hong Kong and wanted to see this endorsed by Ministers.  
116. Kenya was still consulting with capital on the s uggestion that the compilation of Members' 
proposals be referenced in the Ministerial Text a nd would come back to this suggestion at a later 
stage.  If there was going to be any reference in th e text to the compilation, mention also had to be 
made that work was in progress and that further discussions after Hong Kong would not only be based 
on the existing compilation, but also on new subm issions that Kenya foresaw Members tabling. 
117. On the issue of text-based negotiations, Kenya considered it premature to have text-based 
negotiations at this stage in view of the fact th at delegations still had to  understand some of the 
elements that had been proposed.  As for the suggest ion that an illustrative list be given to Ministers, 
Kenya was opposed to this suggestion because it was di fficult to understand the rationale and even the 
legal status such an illustrative list would have. TN/TF/M/10 
Page 18  
 
 118. It would be important for Ministers to take note of the concerns regarding the lack of progress 
on TA&CB.  For Kenya, a reaffirmation on TA a nd support for CB would not be enough.  A clear 
direction from Ministers was needed.  Issues that Kenya would like Ministers to indicate clearly were implementation and coordination mechanisms.  Ther e might be a need for the Group to have some 
time lines on these two issues. 
119. The representative of Turkey
 said that the report should contain a brief part on the factual 
situation, indicating the smooth and good progress ac hieved so far.  In Hong Kong, Ministers should 
give Members the mandate to continue this good progress in a transparent and inclusive manner, 
based on the compilation document.  This would, of course, be without prejudice to Members' 
positions on specific items and should not close the door for Members to submit new proposals.  
Turkey was of the view that Ministers shoul d also invite Members to commence text-based 
negotiations quickly.  The report should further re iterate that TA&CB would continue to be an 
integral part of the negotiations.     
120. The representative of Japan  shared the view that Ministers should recognize the constructive 
discussions and progress achieved to date.  Rega rding the negotiations after Hong Kong, Ministers 
could agree to negotiate towards multilateral commitm ents in the field of trade facilitation based on 
Member's proposals.  In this context, the compilati on paper would be a useful tool.  However, there 
could be an annex to the Ministerial Declaration. 
121. Ministers should also send Members an instructi on to start text-based negotiations in a rapid 
manner.  It was also desirable th at some wording such as "without prejudice to the Members' positions 
in the future negotiations" be included to make  all Members more comfortable to start more 
intensified work.  It should be also recognized that new proposals from Members should not be 
excluded in this process.  The next important elem ent in the product was that it should address S&DT 
and technical assistance for capacity building which was an integral part of the negotiations, as agreed 
in Annex D.  Members had to intensify their work in this area in parallel with the work on other 
elements in Members' proposals. 
122. Finally, Japan wished to stress that the ne gotiations on TF should not be politicized in Hong 
Kong and Members' input should be such that Mini sters could show guidance with comfort and ease. 
123. The representative of Costa Rica  said that her delegation had ambitious aspirations as far as 
the TF negotiations were concerne d and hoped that considerable ach ievements be reached in Hong 
Kong comparable to those in other areas such as Ag riculture.  Costa Rica wished to reiterate its 
commitment to the July 2004 modalities and, with r espect to Hong Kong, hoped that Ministers would 
make a political commitment to launch text-based negotiations that would reflect the headway made 
by the NG.  
124. Costa Rica wanted the Group’s report to contai n an annex, giving an indicative list of areas 
where proposed text was to be put forward, without  prejudice to any new or re-worked proposals. It 
was important to have a balance of all the elements  of the negotiations, including Articles V, VIII and 
X of the GATT, technical assistance, and S&DT.  Th e work done in this regard should therefore be 
based on Annex D.  It was also important that Memb ers be encouraged to continue to identify their 
needs and priorities.  Costa Rica w as prepared to continue to work constructively to ensure continued 
progress in these negotiations. 
125. The representative of Cuba  expressed her delegation's appr eciation of how effective the 
Chairman's consultation process had been.  As far as the Hong Kong text was concerned, Cuba 
wished to support what it had already suggested.  Cuba also supported the statements by the 
Philippines on behalf of the Core Group and by Argentina as coordinator of the Latin American 
Group.    TN/TF/M/10 
 Page 19 
 
 
 126. For Cuba, it was very important that the report included reference to the progress made.  It 
was necessary to point to the c onvergence Members had on certain issues.  Furthermore, the report 
had to acknowledge that a great deal of work remained  to be done in order to fully clarify the situation 
and the matters under consid eration and negotiation.  
127. Like others, Cuba agreed that the Secretar iat's compilation, if updated, could provide 
Members with a framework.  It could serve as a non-exhaustive indicative list, without prejudice to 
new proposals.  As South Africa had said, TA&CB a nd S&D were fundamental to the negotiations on 
trade facilitation.  Cuba therefore endorsed the South African proposal with respect to the need for a 
systematic approach to this area, not only with r espect to the negotiations as such but also as regards 
the timeframe for implementing commitments made on CB.  It was also important that the elements of 
Annex D were reflected in the draft declaration. 
128. The representative of Australia  said that Hong Kong was an important opportunity to capture 
the considerable progress in the work of the NG TF towards more multilateral commitments on trade 
facilitation.  The progress was reflected in the numbe r of proposals and the scope of those initiatives 
and engagements across the breadth of the Group.  It  was very interesting to see that a number of 
countries that saw challenges in implementation also saw significant positive benefits from the 
proposals on the table. 
129. The report was an opportunity to take full adva ntage of what Hong Kong represented in terms 
of consolidating the progress and the positive environm ent surrounding the talks.  At the same time, it 
would be very important to give impetus to work next year in the context of the existing mandate. 
Australia saw an opportunity for a robust report from the Group, seeking Ministerial guidance to 
direct Members to start text-based negotiations towards more multilateral commitments in 2006. 
130. Australia also saw value in the idea of a refere nce in that report to a list or summary version 
of the compilation.  It would provide Members with a useful basis for moving forward next year in terms of the scope of the negotiations.  It did not re quire any special legal binding status and could be 
without prejudice to new or refined proposals or further work in the area.  It was very important for 
the report to reaffirm Members’ commitment to  the Annex D modalities in relation to S&D and 
TA&CB and for it to reflect them to be an integral part of the negotiations.   
131. The report was also an opportunity to reflect on the very good progress and dialogue that 
Members had had in the negotiations, particularly to intensification of efforts to engage with others 
and to open a dialogue on the existing and possible fu ture forms of support.  There were a number of 
issues that Members still had to resolve in that ar ea but there was a very good basis to report on that 
work at Hong Kong. 
132. The representative of Norway
 said that there had been many positive developments in the  
NG over the course of the last year.  Members had reached a much better understanding of the 
challenges they faced in addressing the part of th e mandate related to TA&CB.  There had been a 
number of submissions and many formal as well as informal discussions on the item and a very clear 
understanding by all parties on the identification of needs and priorities related to the submissions and 
the TA needed. 
133. This was one of the important elements of th e mandate that Norway took very seriously.  
Norway was therefore undertaking a thorough examination of what Members were doing in this field, in order to better understand where Norway c ould best contribute in fulfilling the mandate. 
134. As Members were approaching Hong Kong, a certain understanding should emerge among 
Members on what Ministers should agree to in Hong Kong.  There should be confirmation from 
Ministers that Members should enter into text-based  negotiations on future multilateral commitments TN/TF/M/10 
Page 20  
 
 post-Hong Kong.  Members should, of course, base those future negotiations on the wide range of 
proposals made so far and perhaps new ones that wo uld be made after the Sixth Ministerial.    
135. The compilation prepared by the Secretariat had been a very helpful tool.  Norway would 
prefer that a Ministerial Declaration include a short summary of all the proposals on Articles V, VIII  and X as set out in the compilation, with the unders tanding that this was not a closed list.  This 
summary could be set out in an annex, staying with  the format used in past Ministerial Conferences. 
136. Also, in accordance with the mandate, it was important to underline that S&D treatment 
should be part of future negotiati ons.  This should be reaffirmed in Hong Kong.  The dialogue that 
had taken place, the assistance already given, future  plans and the needs reco rded should be duly 
reflected.  Norway also wished to remind Member s of the important contributions made by other 
international organizations.  Their importance bot h in terms of channelli ng the delivery of TA&CB 
could not be underestimated, nor could their role in making sure that there was no overlap and the best 
use of available resources with the view to finalizi ng the negotiations by the end of 2006, at the latest.  
Members should bear in mind that a first draft shoul d appear in due time, a llowing for discussions of 
certain texts.  Finally, the Ministerial text should make clear that Members should not renegotiate the 
mandate or the modalities.  The text for Ministers must be a balanced one, taking into consideration 
all parts of the mandate.  
137. The representative of Jamaica
 said that the Hong Kong Ministerial text should indicate the 
general positive assessment of the work of the NGTF,  which all Members shared.   The work of the 
NGTF was a very bright spot in the Doha Work Programme, and Ministers should be made aware of 
this.  With respect to the Secretariat’s compilati on, Jamaica had no objections to utilizing this as a 
reference point and a basis from which to establish which proposals Members could potentially reach 
agreement on, and which TF measures could potentially become the subject of an outcome. 
138. The door should not be closed for additi onal proposals post-Hong Kong, although Jamaica 
would want to see that any entirely new proposals on the Articles be put on the table as early as 
possible, especially from the demandeurs.  In addition, the door should remain open for as long as 
possible for variations on proposals and for propo sals relating to TA&CB, including contingent or 
derivative proposals. 
139. On the subject of TA&CB, the need should be emphasized for clarity on this issue, especially 
on the relationship between TA&CB to any fi nal agreement on trade facilitation and the 
implementation of that agreement to ensure maintena nce of the integrity of and fidelity to the mandate 
contained in Annex D.  There should further be re iteration by Ministers of Members’ commitment to 
taking fully into account the principle of S&DT for developing and least-developed countries as an 
important confidence-building gesture in Hong Kong. 
140. Finally, there should also be indication of the importance of the participation of international 
organizations in the work of the NG, including their initiatives in the area of TA&CB.  Jamaica 
envisaged a very balanced text, addressing all areas of the mandate provided for in Annex D. 
141. The representative of Sri Lanka  appreciated the way in which the meetings had been 
organized, giving developing Members much flexibility to participate in the discussions.  Hong Kong 
would be the first Ministerial after launching ne gotiations on TF.  Therefore, clear guidance was 
desirable as to how future work should be organized  as an outcome of Hong Kong.  In this context, 
the first and foremost aspect would be to reaffi rm the Annex D modalities.  This would raise the 
comfort level of developing countries for future work in the negotiations. 
142. The report should also truly reflect the pr ogress made.  Substantial progress had been 
achieved.  A new mandate for future work should now be sought.  In this cont ext, some reference had  TN/TF/M/10 
 Page 21 
 
 
 to be made to the need for initiating text-based ne gotiations.  Finally, as many developing countries 
suggested, reaffirmation of the importance of TA &CB as a fundamental part of the negotiations 
should be emphasized. 
143. The representative of the United States  said that the US was speaking for everyone in saying 
that the United States was looking for the Chair to prepare a draft report on behalf of the NG.  The 
challenge would be to achieve a text that was balanced.  Anything that emerged should be seen 
through the perspective of what was needed, positioning Members to finish work next year and achieve robust results in accordan ce with the mandate.  The report should take note of not only the 
progress, but also the broad levels of engagement  and participation.  Secondly, it should contain 
guidance to intensify all areas of work and to put Members on a path towards finishing in accordance 
with the mandate. 
144. The United States hoped that there would be avoidance of any adding to the mandate, 
interpreting it or making an editorial comment that tr ied to gage levels of support.  The United States 
saw simplicity having a great virtue for the negotia tions.  The US also cautioned about making sure 
that Members avoided a level of prescriptiveness, at l east, to the extent that it did not exceed what was 
needed to put Members on the right path to finish th eir work with robust results.  The US shared most 
of the points made by other delegations and asked the Chair to prepare a draft on behalf of the NG 
that was "not too hot and not too cold". 
145. The representative of Korea
 expressed his delegation’s view  that Members’ positions were 
not far from each other, allowing the preparation of  a balanced text for Hong Kong.  There was only 
one year left to conclude the negotiations.  Theref ore, Members had to have an ambitious work plan, 
both for proponents and for developing countries.  For the indication for such a work plan, the report 
should contain some notion of beginning text-b ased negotiations as soon as possible.  Text-based 
negotiations would not only include Articles V, VIII  and X-related measures but also cover the issues 
of TA&CB and S&D.  For a balanced point of  view, Members needed balanced text-based 
negotiations.  Therefore, it was better to indicate the need for switching to text-based negotiations as 
soon as possible. 
146. Another point related to the indicative list or summary based on the compilation.  It was better 
to refer to this kind of list or summary in Hong Ko ng.  Therefore, if Members were measuring some 
progress on one side, it could be utilized for fuelling the other side.  It was not contradictory.  It could 
be complementary, marking progress made and areas requiring further work.  It was important to 
capture the progress on substantial issues.  Memb ers would have to work hard next year. 
147. The representative of New Zealand  welcomed the progress made in the negotiations over the 
last 18 months.  This was one of the main things New Zealand wished to see reflected in the report for 
Ministers at Hong Kong.  New Zealand saw Hong Kong as an opportunity for political endorsement 
of the remarkably smooth running process experienced over the course of the last year.  This process 
was a testament of the commitment and intensive work undertaken. 
148. New Zealand certainly remained very ambitious  in the negotiations.  New Zealand saw them 
as a very important part of an overall ambitious result of the Round and was looking for a robust and substantive outcome on trade facilitation.  
149. New Zealand agreed with the Philippines that Members had to intensify their discussions.  
This had to take place in relation to all aspects of the modalities of Annex D.  Members were ready to 
move towards text-based negotiations.  This was th e natural next step in the negotiating process and 
should be appropriately endorsed by Ministers.  Movi ng to this next step should not prevent further 
proposals.  Rather, it should be seen as a means of  helping Members make a start on the process of 
text-based discussions at an early point, to enable a ll of them to be fully involved in the process of TN/TF/M/10 
Page 22  
 
 text-based negotiations and to ensure that the tran sparent and all inclusive process that Members had 
followed so far, continued in all aspects of the negotiations.  
150. Like others, New Zealand was also looking fo r balance across all elements of the report, 
reflecting the discussions Members had had, and faithfu lly reflecting the mandate set out in Annex D.  
In terms of how Members might cast the substance of  the report, New Zealand agreed with those who 
had said that the compilation document provided Memb ers with a useful tool and would continue to 
be useful for the negotiations.  Setting out in the repo rt the headings, sub-headings and elements of the 
measures listed in the first few pages of the compil ation could provide a useful list of the kinds of 
measures that Members would need to discuss in th e next phase of the negotiations, bearing in mind 
that some further papers might be submitted.  The rationale for this would simply be to provide a 
factual account of the issues that Members had been  working on and to provide a basis for further 
negotiations, without prejudice to the scope of the results or of individual Member's positions on 
specific proposals. 
151. TA&CB and S&DT remained absolutely essential a nd an integral part of Members' work.  
Over the last few months, Members had made significant progress in this area, particularly in relation 
to needs and priorities assessment s.  Members had also made some progress in recognizing the 
different situation that every Member faced in relation to that issue.  This i ssue would continue to be 
of paramount importance.  It was appropriate th at Members reaffirmed the elements in Annex D 
relating to TA&CB and S&DT.  Those elements set  the basis for the parameters for Members’ 
discussions and should continue to provide the b asis for the discussions they had to continue.  
152. As Kenya had said, Members could not realisti cally expect to resolve all the questions 
currently on the table.  New Zealand saw this in the same way for TA&CB as it did for other aspects 
of the negotiations in terms of the scope and th e extent of commitments.  New Zealand would also 
like the report to endorse the active and positive contribu tion of the international organizations.  It was 
clear that they would continue to make a contributio n, play a role in the negotiations and then ensure 
the necessary and coherent delivery of TA&CB. 
153. Finally, New Zealand saw this as an opportun ity for Ministers to reflect on the progress 
Members had made and to provide a stepping stone  for the next phase of the negotiations.  Members 
had to commit to fully and faithfully implementing the modalities set out in Annex D.  Ministers had a 
role in helping Members ensure that they reached the target of completing those negotiations by the 
end of the Round, and that they reached the finishi ng line at the same time as the other negotiations.  
New Zealand looked forward to seeing the Chair pr epare a draft report on behalf of the Group. 
154. The representative of Rwanda
 joined others in expressing appr eciation for the transparent and 
inclusive way of conducting business in the NGTF.  Rwanda associated itself with the statement by 
the Philippines on behalf of the Core Group.  Rwanda wanted the Group’s contribution for Hong Kong to acknowledge the state-of-play, which was good, based on the many proposals that had been 
submitted as well as on the engagement by ma ny Members in the Negotiating Group.   
155. Rwanda would also like the Ministerial Declar ation to call upon Members to intensify and 
continue discussions.  Members could use the Secr etariat compilation as a basis for intensifying 
negotiations.  Two key elements were vital in movi ng forward in the negotiations.  First, there should 
be an acknowledgement of the importance of carryi ng out assessments of needs and priorities.  Many  
Members faced certain constraints or difficulties in  carrying out those assessments. Therefore, a call 
should be made to donors, as well as to relevant in ternational organizations, to assist those countries 
in carrying out what was very important in preparing them for the next stage of the negotiations. 
156. Second, the report should acknowledge the im portance of TA&CB as well as S&DT, as 
indicated in Annex D.  There should be a call to  expeditiously develop ways or mechanisms for  TN/TF/M/10 
 Page 23 
 
 
 linking TA to the possible outcome of the negotia tions.  This should be do ne as expeditiously as 
possible and would be vital in moving Members to the next stage of the negotiations. 
157. The representative of Guatemala  appreciated the way in which the meetings had been 
conducted and considered transparency to be vital for the process to continue as it had up to now.   
The impulse to the TF negotiations on the part of Ministers was key to the Hong Kong Ministerial.  
The Ministerial text should reflect the progress made and the active par ticipation of different 
Members in the negotiations.  It should reinfor ce the elements of Annex D, placing emphasis on S&D 
as well as on TA&CB during and after the negotiations.  It also had to indicate the way in which the 
monitoring of the application of technical assist ance and support for capacity building would take 
place, including the close coordination with internatio nal organizations involved in trade facilitation. 
158. Guatemala wanted Ministers to refer to TN/TF/W/43 on a factual basis without prejudice to 
positions that Members wished to take with respect  to specific proposals mentioned in the document.  
Naturally, the door had to be left open for further proposals.  Emphasis should be laid on the ongoing 
review, in an improved manner, of  the self-assessment of Members' needs and priorities through the 
questionnaire (TN/TF/W/59) or through some other method.  
159. The representative of Ecuador  said that the report had to refer to the progress made in the 
negotiations.  Work should continue  and advance within the context of Annex D.  It was important 
that there was a balance amongst its different el ements, and a reflection of the interrelationship 
between Annex D’s different elements in an  ongoing and dynamic process of negotiations. 
160. Ecuador agreed on the Secretariat's document TN /TF/W/43 being most useful.  It could be 
used as an indicative, non-exhaustive list without pr ejudice to each country’s negotiating position.  It 
was important that Members continued to discuss the needs and priorities of different countries.  In 
this respect, it was important that Members improve d their working methodology to allow countries to 
launch or continue this process.  It was also im portant to have discussions and take decisions on a 
coordination mechanism.  This would allow to coordinate the area of cooperation and capacity 
building in a consistent, effective and timely fash ion which would ensure that the S&D principle 
actually yielded concrete results.  
161. The representative of Egypt  supported the statements by the African Group, the Core Group, 
and others, about the positive nature of the work done in the NGTF.  Egypt supported roadmaps, but 
considered it necessary to surround them with as mu ch flexibility as possible, allowing Ministers in 
Hong Kong to indicate the direction of future work.  It was important to encourage the intensification 
of work done already by the NG.   It was also necessary to concentrate on how to operationalize 
assistance given, S&DT and capacity building.  Egypt also considered support for infrastructure to be 
part and parcel of the modalities set out in Annex D.  Ministers were further expected to indicate how to explore modalities for coordination among donors and interested international organizations. 
162. It was important to reiterate the commitments in the trade facilitation area as being 
conditional to the assistance provide d by donors and international organiza tions in that respect.  Egypt 
also expected the report to signal possible ways to negotiate multilateral co mmitments during 2006.  
Also here, flexibility was very important in drafting how this particular part of what went to Hong 
Kong would be.  The door should be left open for future contributions  by Members.  This could be 
done implicitly, as India had mentioned.  Given the wo rk done in the NG so far, there was no need to 
go further than that.   Members should stick to a simple formula in that respect. 
163. The utility of TN/TF/W/43 was quite obvious.  However, with respect to the suggestion by 
several delegations to annex that document to the Hong Kong report, Egypt felt reluctant to look at 
TN/TF/W/43 as more than a living document, for time being.  It was a document that had been 
reviewed several times with further re visions expected in the future.   TN/TF/M/10 
Page 24  
 
 164. The representative of Hong Kong, China
 said that his delegation was pleased to see the 
negotiations on trade facilitation having got off to a very good start, and making excellent progress.  
To reap the full benefits from the negotiations, Hong  Kong, China was of the view that an ambitious 
and meaningful outcome at the Sixth Ministeria l Conference was essential and would provide 
guidance to the post-Ministerial negotiations. 
165. In view of the fact that the Negotiating Group ha d to complete negotiations before the end of 
2006, and recognizing the substantial progress made by all Members, it was vital for the NG to recommend to Ministers that the Group was ready to move to text-based negotiations after Hong  
Kong to work towards multilateral commitments on trade facilitation.  Some Members had already 
put forward text-based proposals.  
166. As regards an annex to the Report, the su mmary should be based on Members' proposals 
submitted so far.  The annex should reflect the effo rts made by all Members and facilitate work on 
text-based negotiations.  As some Members might fu rther develop their proposals or inject new ideas 
to enrich and complete the scope of elements fo r text-based negotiations, the annex should reflect the 
progressive nature of the discussions in the NG wi thout prejudice to Members' views on accepting 
individual proposals.   
167. The Report should reflect a balanced outcome on the proposals and on other areas.  It was 
also necessary to address other issues reflected in  Annex D, in particular S&D and TA&CB.  
168. The representative of Panama
 reiterated the importance of a development focus of the report 
to Ministers as stressed by Argentina.  It was also important to assure the implementation of the 
commitments on Articles V, VIII and X in the long- term.  The TF part of the report to Ministers 
should give a very clear indication as to the c ontext for Members to conclude everything under 
Annex D.  Therefore, Panama supported docum ent TN/TF/W/41.  Like other Latin American 
delegations, Panama consider ed paragraph 5 to be particularly usef ul as it referred to the balance that 
had to exist among the different pillars  negotiated in the Negotiating Group. 
169. Paragraph 5 referred to  reaching commitments as well as to capacity building and technical 
assistance.  In this respect, Panama felt that tho se indications as to the way in which Members could 
actually complete work under the manda te set out in Annex D were important.  Ther e had to be a very 
clear indication as to how this balance could be preserved to ensure the mandate was fulfilled as set 
out in Annex D. 
170. The representative of Venezuela  fully endorsed the statement by the Philippines on behalf of 
the Core Group.  Venezuela wanted the report of the Negotiating Group to the Sixth Ministerial 
Conference to recognize the advances made and to refer to the need for TA&CB during the 
negotiations and when implementing the commitm ents.  Venezuela supported the use of the 
compilation TN/TF/W/43 in a factual manner without  prejudice to Member’s positions and allowing 
the presentation of new proposals. 
171. The representative of Peru  expressed appreciation for the fu ll transparency in which the 
discussions had taken place in the NG.  Peru consider ed it possible to be ambitious in this Round and 
to make headway with respect to trade facilita tion, where good progress had already been made. 
172. All Members, developed and de veloping alike, had shown commitment to dialogue on all the 
issues before them.  With respect to the report for Hong Kong, Peru wanted it to be a straightforward 
text reflecting the advances made and the good work ing atmosphere that all Members had ensured and 
contributed to, in order to ensu re that Members moved forward.  TN/TF/M/10 
 Page 25 
 
 
 173. It was also important to mention the need to accelerate or refine work on the discussion of the 
proposals as reflected in the compilation.  Peru was not entirely sure whether compilation 
TN/TF/W/43 would be useful as an annex in its enti rety.  Ministers were going to be burdened with 
enough papers in the course of the Ministerial.  Therefore, it seemed that a list of the issues discussed 
without prejudice to new proposals would best be put forward as a note or an annex, reflecting 
Members’ discussions on the various issues.  The i ndex of TN/TF/W/43 might suffice to give an idea 
of the issues Members had discussed, without prejudice to subsequent discussions.  It gave some idea 
of the areas requiring further work.  
174. The representative of El Salvador  appreciated the Chair's efforts to ensure a balanced text for 
Ministers to agree on in Hong Kong.  El Salvador  felt very strongly about S&D and TA&CB, which 
must be reflected in the report.  Both elem ents were important bot h during negotiations and 
afterwards in order to ensure that developing co untries could benefit as much as possible from the 
negotiations and see decreased costs which would serve  to enhance trade facilitation. Furthermore, El 
Salvador considered it important that Members be allowed to make proposals also at a later date. 
175. The Chair  said that he would respond to Members’ requests for him to try his hand at 
preparing a draft text.  The aim was for Members to agree on the Group’s report at the next meeting of 
the Negotiating Group.  Given the time restraints, he hope d to circulate a draft text by the end of that 
week.  To facilitate the achievemen t of an agreeable report, Member s were encouraged to continue 
their consultations amongst themselves.  He woul d also make himself available upon request.   
176. The Negotiating Group took note  of the statements made.       
B. AD HOC ATTENDANCE OF RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS , INCLUDING THE 
IMF,  OECD,  UNCTAD,  WCO  AND THE WORLD BANK, AT THE NEXT MEETING OF THE 
NEGOTIATING GROUP  
177. The Chairman  suggested inviting relevant internati onal organizations, including the IMF, 
OECD, UNCTAD, WCO and the World Bank to a ttend the next meeting of the NG on an ad hoc  
basis, as provided for in the Work Plan.   
178. It was so agreed . 
C. OTHER BUSINESS  
179. The Chairman  said that the next meeting of the Group would take place on 8-9 November 
with the purpose of finalizing the report for Hong Kong.   
180. The meeting was adjourned .  
__________