./.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/COMTD/W/46
17 July 1998
(98-2843)
Committee on Trade and development Original:  French
REVIEW OF THE APPLICATION OF SPECIAL PROVISIONS IN THE
MULTILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND RELATED
MINISTERIAL DECISIONS IN FAVOUR OF
DEVELOPING COUNTRY MEMBERS,
AND IN PARTICULAR THE
LEAST-DEVELOPED
AMONG THEM
Communication by Morocco
The Secretariat has received the following communication from the Permanent Mission of the
Kingdom of Morocco with the request that it be distributed to Members of the World TradeOrganization.
_______________
On 7 July 1998, the Secretariat received from the Permanent Mission of Morocco the
following communication which contains a working document and follows up the proposals made by
the Moroccan delegation on 19 June 1998 in the Committee on Trade and Development under item B
of its agenda.
1. Morocco reiterates the crucial importance it attaches to the special and differential measures
in favour of developing countries, in particular the least-developed among them.  It remainsconvinced of the need for special treatment both  to ensure that multilateral trade agreements
concluded between countries at different levels of development preserve a certain balance and to
reduce the risk of the least-developed countries being marginalized.  Together, these special and
differential measures constitute an integral part of the WTO Agreements and should therefore be fully
and completely implemented.
2. The Moroccan delegation welcomes the interest shown by delegations in the proposals it
submitted to the Committee on Trade and Development with a view to carrying forward the review of
the special provisions in favour of developing countries, in particular the least-developed among
them.  Like several other delegations it considers that it would be highly useful, as well as being a
matter of urgency, for the Committee on Trade and Development to progress beyond the factual phaseof the review to an analytical phase designed to acquaint Member States with the various aspects
linked to the implementation of the special and di fferential measures in favour of the developing
countries contained in the multilateral trade agreements.  It is to be noted that the Ministerial
Declaration welcomed the work already under way in the Committee on Trade and Development for
reviewing the application of special provisions in the multilateral trade agreements and relatedMinisterial Decisions in favour of developing country Members, and in particular the least-developed
among them, and agreed on the need for effective implementation of these special provisions.
3. While congratulating the Secretariat on its reports, which will form a useful factual basis for
the work of the Committee on Trade and Development, the Moroccan delegation invites it to redoubleWT/COMTD/W/46
Page 2
its efforts to help Member States engage in an an alytical review of the implementation of the special
and differential measures in favour of developing countries, in particular the least-developed among
them.
4. The analytical review should provide the necessary framework for an evaluation of the
implementation of the measures.  Several provisions have entered into force, whereas others remaininoperative.  So far, the Committee has not been able to obtain meaningful information on the
implementation of the provisions, particularly in the case of provisions of a preambular nature and
those that call on Members to take account of the trade interests of developing countries, as stated in
paragraph 2 on the cover page of document WT/COMTD/W/35 of 9 February 1998.
5. The proposed analytical review could ther efore be focused on the following aspects:
(a) Examination of the difficulties encountered in implementing the measures and
provisions which so far remain inoperative.  These difficulties may be encountered bydeveloping countries which, for various reasons, are unable to maximize the use of
the special measures in their favour.  They could also concern developed countries
which do not succeed in implementing certain provisions intended to ensure special
and differential treatment in favour of developing countries, particularly the least-
developed among them.
(b) Examination of the implications of implementing special and differential measures
for the developing and least-developed countries and of the impact on their trade.
This review should be targeted and could enable the results actually achieved by these
countries to be measured in relation to the objectives set by the multilateral trade
agreements and related Ministerial Decisions.
(c) A conceptual analysis of the special and differential measures, as established, in
accordance with their implementation process.  This analysis should be focused on
the concept of special and differential treatment and the evaluation of its scope, its
relevance in its present form and its adaptability to the development of multilateral
trade relations.  Will the concept of special treatment in its present form always beable to ensure a balance between different levels of development and exclude the risk
of marginalization, its principal justification?
6. The Moroccan delegation remains convinced that a pragmatic and realistic discussion of these
questions in the Committee on Trade and Development would help to facilitate the implementation of
these provisions and of special and differential treatment.  These discussions should not proceed in an
atmosphere of confrontation, but rather within  a framework of cooperation and understanding that
would help to strengthen the multil ateral trading system as a whole.
__________