WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/71 
17 December 2011  
 
(11-6635) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English 
 
  
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 
 
Statement by H.E. Mr Colin Trevor Murdoch 
Ambassador, Permanent Secretary 
 
 
I come neither to bury Caesar nor to praise him. 
 
For those who may be too close to the action and unaware of the bigger picture, let me inform 
you that we stand on the cusp of the collapse of the WTO Doha Round, an event unprecedented in the 
history of international trade negotiations.  
Especially for small and vulnerable economies such as Antigua and Barbuda, the future looks 
sombre and the imminent collapse of the Doha R ound would be an unmitigated tragedy for the WTO 
and for world trade. 
 
Although the outcomes so far of the Doha Round are disappointing, States such as ours need 
the multilateral trading system, not just to ensure a ru les-based system, but also to ensure that the rules 
themselves are fair and just for all. 
 
This is why, despite our disappointment, we cannot bury Caesar;  and also why, despite our 
hope, we cannot praise him.  
The member States of the Organisation of East ern Caribbean States, of which Antigua and 
Barbuda is a member, reaffirm our commitment to having and main taining a fair and equitable 
rules-based multilateral trading system that meets the needs of developing countries, particularly 
SVEs and LDCs.  
The OECS, as very small economies with little  individual or collective sway in global 
economic governance, needs a strong and well-functioni ng system with a Member-driven, transparent 
and consensus-based World Trade Organization to advance, secure and safeguard its trade and 
development interests.  
While OECS member States, and especially my own country Antigua and Barbuda, have 
suffered negative consequences from the interpretati on, application and implementation of various 
WTO Agreements, our small island member States still see the existence of the MTS and WTO as 
preferable to an international trading environment void of equitable rules where the smallest and weakest would most certainly fall prey to the resulting anarchy. 
 
As small and vulnerable economies, we cannot opt out of the system. 
 
Free trade is not a religion;  it has no inherent validity of its own. 
 WT/MIN(11)/ST/71 
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  Free trade is as free trade does, and unless the development outcomes anticipated in the 
conclusion of the Doha Round are within r each, there is no incentive to conclude. 
 
Unless there is a development outcome in each  of the negotiating areas, the Doha Round 
would not have lived up to its mandate and promise. 
 
OECS countries are by their very nature sm all, highly trade-dependent economies with 
narrow production and export bases and high transport and infrastructure costs.  
Consequently, the OECS economies look to the WTO and the wider MTS to take cognizance 
of our inherent peculiarities to develop ru les that are commensurate with our capacity. 
 
In that regard, Antigua and Barbuda places gr eat importance on the WTO's regular work;  the 
WTO is not synonymous with the DDA.  
In fact the WTO needs to reinforce the importa nce of its regular functions as it relates to 
monitoring, implementation, technical assistance a nd capacity building relating to trade agreements 
and obligations, as well as its mechanisms for trade policy reviews and dispute settlement. 
 
The question of dispute settlement brings me to  an issue that, along with the case of cotton, 
highlights inappropriate dispute settlement results at the WTO that have the potential to undermine 
the credibility of the Organization. 
 
Antigua and Barbuda and the OECS look to  the WTO for innovative solutions in the 
dispute settlement procedures in order to ach ieve equitable and implementable outcomes. 
 
It is no secret that, although as one of the smallest States in the world we brought the largest 
economy in the world to the WTO DSB and won, th at famous case between Antigua and Barbuda and 
the United States on Internet gaming services is still without resolution today, more than eight years 
after our action was first brought.  
Although the Panel and Appellate Body have ruled in the favour  of Antigua and Barbuda in 
the cross-border supply of gambling and betting servi ces with the United States, we were handed the 
ultimate Pyrrhic victory and told to impose tr ade sanctions on the world's largest economy. 
 
That remedy, which might have been a ppropriate had the case been between the 
European Union and the United States, calls into question whether the dispute settlement mechanism 
of the WTO can find innovative solutions that f it the peculiar circumstances of individual cases. 
 
If innovative solutions are not found, cases like these can only serve to undermine the 
credibility of the WTO itself, an outcome that we should all do everything to avoid.  
We have had many frustrating and unproductive ro unds of negotiations with the United States 
in a genuine effort to bring this matter to a equitable conclusion, and to redress the enormous 
economic damage done to the economy of Antigua and Barbuda by the unlawful actions of the 
United States.  
We are left to wonder whether the WTO has wash ed its hands in the manner of Pontius Pilate, 
and whether we have been abandoned to our fate. 
 
It is also not a secret that we are not pleased with the outcome of this case, and we intend to 
continue to pursue our rights.   WT/MIN(11)/ST/71 
 Page 3 
 
 
  It is our intention early in 2012 to approach the United States with new and innovative 
proposals designed to bring a just and fina l resolution of this unfortunate matter. 
 
Even at this stage, we believe that there is a role for the WTO to assist in shepherding our 
negotiations with the United States to safe ha rbour, and we call on the Director-General, 
Mr Pascal Lamy to use his good offices to sit with  us and to examine what role it would be 
appropriate for the WTO to assume.  
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