. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(99)/ST/38
1 December 1999
(99-5248)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Third SessionSeattle, 30 November - 3 December 1999Original:  English
NETHERLANDS
Statement by H.E. Mr. Gerrit Ybema
Minister for Foreign Trade
When I was preparing for our Conference here in Seattle, I was reminded of the man who
gave his name to this city, the famous Indian Seattle Chief of the local native tribe in the early days of
the State of Washington.  In his renowned speech  for the newly elected American Governor, he
expressed the strong attachment of his people to their native ground, "its green valleys, its wild rivers
and majestic mountains".  At the same time, Chief Seattle showed a remarkable willingness to sharehis native country with the newly arrived Americans.
The wise words of Chief Seattle should inspire us all in this Conference.  Sharing our
prosperity while preserving the beautiful nature that we inherited.  Translated to modern days, we
would say:  economic and social development in a balanced and sustainable manner and for thebenefit of all.  That should be our main objective.
In this Conference, we have the great responsibility of setting the agenda of the
World Trade Organization for the coming years.  In my view, we need to address four challenges that
are of utmost importance for our common future.
First of all, we need to strengthen the World Trade Organization as the backbone of the
multilateral trading system, in order to make sure that international trade is not based on the rules of
the jungle but on international law that safeguards the interests of all.  To this end, we should increase
the transparency and accountability of the Organization, we should see how we can make its rules
more responsive to the needs of all Member States and – not in the last place – we should work hard
at the early accession of those countries that have not yet joined our Organization.
In the second place, we should make sure that the WTO proceeds on its course of trade
liberalization, addressing all those remaining obstacles that hinder trade in an unjustifiable way.
Further trade liberalization should benefit all particip ating countries.  Therefore, I urge you all to enter
into ambitious negotiations both on industrial products, on agriculture and on services, aiming at abalanced final package in the interest of all.
The New Round that I hope we will launch here in Seattle, should above all be a
"Development Round".  It is of the utmost impor tance that this New Round of trade negotiations
contributes to the further integration of developing countries in world trade and in the work of theWTO.  Especially the least-developed countries deserve our full attention.  We cannot and will not
accept the marginalization of this group of countries, that should get its fair share of prosperity
growing worldwide.  To this end, I call upon all more  advance countries to open their markets for the
products of the least-developed countries.  Giving these countries full opportunities for trade is the
first thing we should do.  Moreover, however, we should consider how we can assist less-advancedcountries in implementing the WTO Agreements.  We should discuss how we can make the WTO
rules more responsive to the needs of especially the least-developed countries.  And above all, weWT/MIN(99)/ST/38
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should assist developing countries in reaping the full benefits of their rights under the WTO.  In this
context, the Netherlands has participated actively in the initiative for an Advisory Centre on WTO
Law, that will provide legal assistance to developing countries in WTO disputes.  I am very happy
that this important initiative has received such a broad support, both from developing and from
developed countries in all continents.  Thanks to that, we were able to sign, here in Seattle yesterday,the international agreement establishing the Advisory Centre on WTO Law.
Last but not least, I wish to stress that trade policy cannot be pursued in isolation from other
fields of policy.  It is very harmful for public acceptance of the important work of the WTO, if its
rules are perceived as being an obstacle for effective policy-making in – for example – environmental,
health or social matters.  I am convinced that we can find ways to ensure that we can proceed on the
course of trade liberalization without reducing our capacities for effective policy-making in otherfields.  Therefore, I hope that we can reach common ground here in Seattle on how to address these
issues.
Let me conclude by stating that if we can agree to discuss how to meet the four challenges I
have just mentioned, we will be able to go home from Seattle with the satisfaction of having set aproper agenda for the first years of the WTO in the new Millennium.
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