. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(99)/ST/85
1 December 1999
(99-5286)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Third SessionSeattle, 30 November - 3 December 1999Original:  English
NEPAL
Statement by the Honourable Ram Krishna Tamrakar
Minister of Commerce
(Speaking as an Observer)
1. I would like to take this opportunity to than k the Government of the United States of America
as well as Director-General of WTO, Mr. Mike Moore and his team, for organizing this conference in
this beautiful city of Seattle and extending generous hospitality to me and my delegation.
2. We uphold the view that progressive trade liberalization, the motto of WTO, encourages and
enhances efficient use of available global and local resources, the ultimate asset of the "global village"
created and preserved by our ancestors.  Trade is not an end itself.  It is a means to uplift the global
standards of living.  We believe that "globalization" should not be an instrument to exploit the global
opportunities and resources by big business empires of developed countries at the cost of under-developed world.  It should rather pave a highway for golden era of humanity and civilization, where
traditional and modern knowledge, technology a nd resources flow for the good of all mankind.
Globalization must aim at freeing humanity from the state of hunger and poverty as well as
from the fear of exploitation and war.  The vision , mission and task of the "global village" would
remain incomplete if we were unable to integrate all countries from the top of the world down to the
ocean within the framework of multilateral trading sy stem.  This is possible with the establishment of
an environment, ensuring fair and equitable distribution of gains that stem from the use of globalresources.
3. In Nepal, we have a saying that prosperity comes with sharing and self-indulgence wanes.
From the perspective of all the LDCs, the issue is of magnanimity, and not reciprocity.  Thus, to assist
in global prosperity, is not only a moral responsibility of our developed partners but it is at the core of
their interests too.
4. As you know, Nepal, a least-developed and land-locked country, is also in the process of
accession to WTO.  However, the accession process has become complex, demanding and
time-consuming.  And, the continued exclusion has been depriving us from sharing the benefits of
ever-growing international trade.  Therefore, a fast track accession process for LDCs with liberal
conditionalities, consistent with the trade and de velopment needs is the need of the hour.  LDCs
should not be called upon in the accession process to assume obligations or commitments that go
beyond what is applicable to the founder WTO LD C Members.  As most of the transition period
provided for developing and least-developed countries, which have either expired or are coming
towards the end, I call for the extension of transition periods for acceding LDC countries by making
them applicable for the date of accession.
5. We uphold the view that WTO Members should extend duty-free, quota-free markets for all
the products originating in LDCs and apply standstill or roll-back to all contingency protectionWT/MIN(99)/ST/85
Page 2
measures that have adverse effect on market access for export products of LDCs.  But, of course,
market access is only one face of the coin.  For meaningful and beneficial integration of LDCs into
global economy.  The more important face is the "supply capacity".  It requires infrastructure
development, both institutional and human, along wi th transfer of technology and investment.  So, I
call upon our developed partners to provide gener ous support to overcome supply bottlenecks of
LDCs.  Moreover, the speedy operationalization of the Integrated Framework for Least-Developed
Countries' Trade Development and full and faithful implementation of the provisions of special and
differential treatments of the various agreements would help uplift the small economies.
6. With regard to trade and labour standards, we endorse the commitments made by Commerce
Ministers at the Singapore Ministerial Declaration.  And for other issues, such as foreign direct
investment, electronic commerce, competition policy, government procurement and environmental
issues, we need in-depth study on their implications.  We uphold that the issues of environmentshould not be affecting the trade of LDC countries.  No country could meaningfully and effectively
participate in the negotiation on issues that they do not comprehend well.  Similarly,  LDCs should be
given more flexibility in the implementation of the provisions regarding intellectual property rights
consistent with their institutional infrastructure, human resources and development level.
7. The burden of external debt continues to be one of the main obstacles to the achievement of
the social and economic development objectives of LDCs.  The outflows of a substantial portion of
gross domestic product and export earnings to service debt have not only regressed the economic
development but also put these countries on the verge of social and political turmoil.  Therefore, I
urge the developed countries to send a clear message from Seattle to cancel foreign debts of all LDCs.
8. I am confident that there is a lot we can do together to make a better future for mankind.  Let
Seattle lay a foundation based on a genuine will and commitment for prosperity of humanity as a
whole in the 21
st century.
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