WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/L/659 
2 November 2006 
 (06-5258) 
 Original:   English 
  
 
 
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON THE  
DOHA ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS 
 
Communication from Qatar
 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 11 Octobe r 2006, addressed to the Director-General, has 
been received from the Minister of Finance/Acting Minister of Economy and Commerce of Qatar.  
 
_______________ 
 
  I am writing to you to express my Government's  concern over the state of the Doha Round of 
multilateral trade negotiations, sharing with you a number of our ideas, wishing these ideas may be 
useful in bringing the talk to a successful conclusion. 
  The launch of the Doha development Agenda in  Qatar nearly five years ago was a momentous 
event and was greeted by WTO Members as a once in a generation opportunity to use new trade 
liberalization and systemic reform as a driver for economic growth, especially in the developing 
member states. 
  Unfortunately, the potential gains to global economic welfare from trade liberalization, the 
magnitude of which has been repeatedly demonstrat ed through many studies, are in danger of being 
lost.  
 We believe the time has come for World Leader s to take the actions necessary to preserve the 
benefits to all that would result from a successful round instead of watching them evaporate through 
an extended suspensions of the negotiations.   The unfortunate state of the talks has convinced  me to issue the enclosed statement, which I 
am pleased to share with your and with the esteemed Members of the WTO. 
  I would appreciate it, if you would arrange to have this statement distributed to all WTO 
Members and Observers.  
 You will see from the text of the statement that I am of the view that overly complex 
formulae and suggested modalities are possibly standi ng in the way of reaching the political decisions 
necessary to bring about the successful conclusion of the Round.   I hope that the ideas in the enclosed stat ement will be considered as a constructive 
contribution. 
 WT/L/659 
Page 2  
 
   Allow me to finish by stating my appreciations for the efforts that you are making to move 
WTO Members toward resumption of the negotiations.   Be assured that the Government of Qatar stands  ready to participate in any activity that could 
enhance the prospects for a successful conclusion of the Doha Round 
 
 
_______________ 
 
 
Ministerial Statement on the 
 
Doha Round of WTO Negotiations  
 
 
 Nearly five years ago, WTO Members meeting in Qatar agreed to launch an ambitious new round of multilateral trade negotiations.  The Round w as initiated to focus on development issues, and 
the Government of the State of Qatar was honored to be closely associated with the launching of "the 
Doha Development Agenda".  Following a series of delays in the original timetable, the talks have 
now been "suspended", and I believe  it is appropriate to issue this statement on the need to get 
negotiations restarted.  
 When WTO Ministers agreed on the Doha Minist erial Declaration, it was apparent that WTO 
Member states committed to a work  program which is intended to produce a number of outcomes.  
While the foreseen outcomes are intended to benef it all Members, they are targeted to make a 
particularly strong contribution to economic growth in the developing countries.  For example, in agriculture, the ministers committed to working to e liminate export subsidies that are so damaging to 
developing countries' efforts to compete on world markets. 
  We also committed to continuing the Uruguay Round's start on reforming trade-distorting domestic subsidies;  and further opening markets for agricultural products - especially those exported 
by developing countries.  
 Over the past several years,  studies by the World Bank and other internationally reputable 
institutions and think tanks have demonstrated convincingly that meaningful results from the 
agricultural negotiations would produce billions  of dollars in benefits, particularly in the developing 
countries, where so many impoverished rural i nhabitants depend upon farming activities for their 
survival. 
 
 Through our agreed upon Ministerial Declarati on at Doha, we also committed to negotiate 
substantial reductions of tariffs on industrial goods and to enhance market access for trade in services.  
As we know, since manufacturing activity has been  shifting to the developing countries, the 
substantial reduction of import duties in both deve loped and developing markets would enhance the 
ability of developing countries to benefit from the gl obalization of production.  Today, we can see that 
international foreign direct investment is closely linked with trade in services.  Even in developing 
countries, the contribution of the services sector now represents an increasing percentage of economic activity.   In combining the anticipated outcomes of ag ricultural trade negotiations with the tariff 
reduction targets we set for industrial goods and services trade liberalization, the Ministerial 
Declaration intended that this round should offe r significant contributions to global economic 
development.   WT/L/659 
 Page 3 
 
 
   The Round we launched in Doha promised to assist us in reaching important environmental 
protection goals through reducing damaging subsidies that encourage over-fishing in the world's 
oceans, freeing trade in environmental goods and services, and clarifying the relationship between the 
WTO and multilateral envi ronmental agreements. 
 
 At the same time, the Ministerial Declaration sought through other negotiations to also 
enhance the functioning of the WTO system, such  as through trade facilitation, revised rules of 
antidumping action, and improvements to the dispute settlement system.   Against this background, the Government of  the State of Qatar views the suspension of 
negotiations with deep concern.  Any further dela y in reaching the outcomes that we sought in the 
Ministerial Declaration would unnecessarily deprive the world of the economic and social benefits associated with a successful round.  Developing co untries' aspirations are increasingly frustrated by 
the collective failure of major players to agree on the basic building blocks for the final phase of the 
negotiations.  As with other, progress toward better environmental protection is being held hostage by 
the current stalemate in negotiati ons or suspension of the talks. 
  Being fully committed to a successful outcome to this round of nego tiations which we all 
have worked so hard to help initiate, we believe it is critical for the negotiations to be re-launched as 
quickly as possible.  In the spirit of constructive engagement, we offer a number of suggestions that we believe would assist WTO Members to resume their important work in the Doha Round. 
 
 At the earliest possible meeting of a critical mass of WTO Members, we should first set aside complex formulae and modalities.  Second, political-l evel agreement should be reached on the level 
of ambition those Members are able to commit to in all of the Round's critical components addressed 
to market access and subsidy reductio n.  These broad political targets could set the stage for a final 
period of the negotiations. 
  Each individual Member state that commits to  a target outcome should also demonstrate how 
it would plan to meet the outcome over an agreed  upon implementation timetable.  In this process, 
each of the participating Members would employ m odalities and formulae of its own choosing.  What 
would be important would be to de monstrate convincingly that the targeted outcomes would be met in 
the agreed upon timeframe. 
  Participation in the suggested approach shoul d be open to all Members;  however, it should 
apply to developing countries under some agreed  threshold on a voluntary basis.  If not enough 
participants can be involved to cons titute a critical mass;  as defined as a percentage of world trade, 
the approach should be declared unworkable. 
  A time period to achieve the intended outcomes should be agreed on in order to finalize Doha 
Round through this approach.  We would suggest that  participants specify a date, early enough in the 
year 2007 to produce an implementation plan to meet their targets and convince their trading partners 
that their plan is a viable one.  In the mean time, negotiations on rules -related issues should be 
resumed and a commitment should be made to fi nish these negotiations su ccessfully as early as 
possible.   It is essential that the new deadline to conclude the Round should be firm and final.  Since the 
negotiations were due to end in 20 04, if they cannot be concluded by proper time, early enough in the 
year 2007, we should admit that WTO Member states are incapable of living up to the commitments 
that they made in 2001.   The Government of the State of Qatar adva nces this proposal because it is deeply committed 
to a successful outcome to the Doha Development Agenda. WT/L/659 
Page 4  
 
   We in Qatar have become convinced that a successful outcome of the Doha Round is within 
reach.  However, WTO Member stat es need to work hard to overc ome the hurdles to success posed by 
the complexities of unnecessary and undesirable techni cal issues.  This can be achieved by returning 
to basic issues and deciding acceptable outcomes at a political level.  
 The Government of the State of Qatar woul d welcome the opportunity to discuss these ideas 
with other WTO Member states and stands ready to participate in any consultation that promises to 
enhance prospects for a successful conc lusion of the suspended negotiations. 
  The Doha Round holds the promise to contribut e to the betterment of mankind through more 
humanized globalization and more pr osperous global economic activities. 
 
__________