. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/123 
17 December 2005 
 (05-6129) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   French 
 
  
BELGIUM 
 
Statement by HE Mr Karel de Gucht
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs  
   Numerous studies have shown that the liberali zation of trade in goods and services will result 
in a major improvement in the economic perform ance of the rich and poor countries through 
specialization, economies of scale, and technology tr ansfer.  Although these benefits are difficult to 
quantify, estimates suggest that the Doha Round shoul d generate an increase in the overall level of 
prosperity of hundreds of billions of dollars.  This  means that millions of human beings could be 
brought out of poverty thanks to in tegration in international trade. 
  It is up to us, the Ministers of Trade, to work together to ensure that we take full advantage of 
this exceptional opportunity.  We owe this to our peop les, and particularly to the poorest among them.  
But more than that, we have a duty not to fail.  If the Doha Round were to become the first major 
trade negotiating round to fail since 1930, the rules that the WTO so painstakingly developed would be subjected to considerable protectionist pressu res, possibly triggering a chain reaction to the 
detriment of international relations as a whole.  Afte r all, I think we can say that the WTO rules taken 
as a whole, and their implementation, constitutes the greatest achievement to date in the area of world 
governance.  A setback at this point would cause Stat es to stray even further from multilateralism than 
they already have done, and the temptation for them  to steer increasingly towards the conclusion of 
bilateral or regional agreements would be great.  We know how much this would complicate life for 
our enterprises.  
 In a nutshell, the status quo is not an option:  if we do not move forward, we will be pulled 
backwards.   In order to overcome the challenges that lie ah ead, we will have to show political courage.  
Indeed, we all know that when it comes to tr ade negotiations, we must be capable of accepting 
momentary pain for the sake of more substantial a dvantages in the long term.  If we are to succeed in 
this endeavour, we must be able to hold out against well-established interests and mercantilist 
mentalities and to show the courage to focus all our  efforts on achieving balanced global results that 
serve the general interest and are clearly  designed to benefit the poorest among us. 
 
 When I hear what is being said in the green  room, I wonder whether we are showing this 
political courage.  Some Members seem more bent  on positioning themselves more advantageously, 
and are doing their utmost to ensure that the blame for any failure is placed on the others rather than 
seeking mutually beneficial solutions.   After four years of discussions, and knowing th at the sun will set on our negotiations in 2006, 
we have to shed the rhetoric. 
 WT/MIN(05)/ST/123 
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  This means that we have two tasks to accomp lish before leaving Hong  Kong, i.e. before 
tomorrow at lunchtime!   First, we must put together a development package that offers the LDCs export possibilities 
and the capacity to implement them.  The keystone of  this structure must consist in granting the LDCs 
duty- and quota-free access to the markets of th e developed and the emerging countries.  Any 
deviation from this rule can only be momentary.  We  must also ensure a generous "Aid for Trade" 
package that enables the LD Cs to improve their infrastructure, particularly in the areas of logistics, 
administration and finance.  If we are to take prope r account of the "development" dimension, we will 
also have to allow the developing countries to di smantle their tariffs more slowly than the normal 
application of the rule of reciprocity would requi re.  As a general rule, the level of this positive 
discrimination should be tailored to the level of development attained. 
  Second, all parties must now seriously get down to work and submit proposals on all of the 
key elements in the main areas under discussion so th at true negotiations can at long last begin in 
earnest and concrete agreements can be tabled. 
  The European Union has shown the way by tabl ing, even before this Conference began, a 
number of concrete proposals on the three fundament al issues in the area of Agriculture, on NAMA, 
on Services, to mention but a few.  Europe had no  hesitation in acting to break the deadlock.  The 
truth is, that we have so far had little but criticis m in return.  We got no credit from the media for 
making a very early move.  Indeed, they seem to  have favoured those who criticized us without 
themselves making any constructive counter-proposals.  But let us have no illusions, dear colleagues:  
media victories are short-lived, and we are worki ng towards a liberalization process whose benefits 
will be felt for decades to come.  
 Like some of my colleagues before me, I woul d like to ask all parties to submit their own 
proposals.  We welcome those that can help to achie ve results that reflect a well distributed balance 
not only between, but also within the main pillars of the Doha Round.   Belgium has a population of slightly more than 10 million.  It has one of the most open economies in the world, it ranks tenth among ex porters of goods and services, and it lives off 
international trade.  This is why we have alwa ys been, and will remain, natural advocates of trade 
based on clear rules.  We do not want the original ambitions of the Doha Ro und to be reduced to a 
dead letter.  Time is running short:  we need to get down to business.  
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