. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/ST/124 
2 December 2009 
 (09-6497) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   French 
 
  
ALGERIA 
 
Statement by Mr Cherif Zaaf
 
Director-General of Foreign Trade  
(Speaking as an Observer ) 
   I am speaking on behalf of the Minister of Trade,  who is unable to be with us today.  I would 
of course have liked to speak in Arabic, a language th at is recognized in all in ternational organizations 
of universal scope, but has not yet become an official language at the WTO.   It is my delegation's view that this Confer ence should be an important vector for promoting 
development and integrating devel oping countries into global trade. 
 
 Undermined by a global economic and financia l crisis of exceptional severity, the world 
today, after being deluded by blind libertarian a bundance, is suffering from the effects of speculative 
excesses by rich countries, a generalized recession whose unmitigated consequences are being felt by 
the most vulnerable countries.  For some, their well-be ing is affected, while for others it is their very 
survival. 
 
 Because of its global ramifications and the challenges it raises, the current crisis calls for collective responses that involve stronger  regional and international governance. 
  With the aim of reinforcing the multilateral tr ading system, this Seventh Conference gives us 
an opportunity to reflect together on certain systemic issues.  In this regard, Algeria considers that the 
WTO accession process requires the elaboration of rul es to make it flexible, transparent and speedy, 
and to provide differential treatment to countries acceding to the WTO according to their levels of development.   The absence of clearly defined rules on accession is paradoxical bearing in mind the WTO's 
mission to introduce universal rules for the functioning of the international trading system. 
  Curiously, Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement governing the accession process does not 
give any indications c oncerning agreed accession criteria and gives Members latitude to determine 
these according to the negotiations. 
 
 In our view, the accession process is lengthy and too demanding.  No limits have been defined regarding the terms of accession.  This does not guarantee equal right s and obligations.  The 
process requires candidates to make important  commitments, going beyond their levels of 
development and the WTO rules.  It even requir es candidate developing countries to make greater 
concessions than those made by the Members themse lves, including the most developed countries. 
 
 Increasingly stringent demands are being made on candidates so that the criteria for each successive accession are stricter than for the prev ious one.  Requests for special and differential WT/MIN(09)/ST/124 
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  treatment are not accepted from candidate developing countries which, on the contrary, we are told 
must "pay more dearly than the others because they  have arrived late".  We reject this argument. 
  The members of the African Group, and all the developing countries in the G110, have unanimously recommended that the relevant provisi ons on accession be reformed along the lines we 
have advocated. 
  In this connection, it is essential for a mechanis m to be introduced to examine Article XII of 
the Marrakesh Agreement with a view to revising  it in order to make the accession process more 
transparent through clearly defined rules.  The ef fective fulfilment of the Organization's universal 
dimension and the responsiveness to development pr oblems, which it proclaims but does not put into 
practice in the case of acceding countries, will depend on accelerating accession procedures.   The WTO must respect the Doha  Declaration, which underlines th e need to continue giving 
priority to the accession procedures under way in or der to conclude them as rapidly and harmoniously 
as possible. 
  Integrating all developing countries in the multila teral trading system will certainly help to 
mitigate the global economic crisis and to restore growth.  
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