. /.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/AG/NG/W/6
4 April 2000
(00-1369)
Committee on Agriculture
Special SessionOriginal:  English
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
23-24 MARCH 2000
Statement by Norway
Introduction
Norway welcomes the initiation of negotiations on agriculture in accordance with the
mandate laid down in Article 20.
We regret that we failed to agree in Seattle to launch a broad round of negotiations.  The
process will continue and Norway hopes that we will agree on future negotiations as soon as possible.
We appreciate that you, Mr. Ambassador, on an exceptional basis, has accepted to chair this
meeting.  Furthermore, we would like to emphasise the need to elect a chairperson and a vice-chair
acceptable to all Members as soon as possible and well in advance of the next Special Session.
The mandate/guiding principles
The long-term objective of substantial progressive reductions in support and protection is
referred to in Article 20.  The article also lays down that further negotiations shall take into account,inter alia,  special and differential treatment to developing country Members and non-trade concerns.
As regards non-trade concerns, Norway would not miss this opportunity to underline the
multifunctional and multifaceted nature of agriculture as a supplier of public goods such as rural
settlements, food security, a living cultural landscape, cultural heritage and biodiversity.  These keyaspects need to be addressed during our future deliberations and properly reflected in the continuation
of the reform process.
The basic characteristics of the agricultural sector imply that agriculture, also in the future,
needs to be treated separately within the multilateral trading system.
The preamble of the Agreement notes that commitments under the reform programme should
be made in an equitable way among all Members.  We need to strike a balance between the interests
of all Members in order to promote the objective of a fair and market oriented agricultural trading
system.
First phase
In our opinion, as part of the initial negotiation phase, the Special Session needs to carefully
consider the elements (a), (b), (c) and (d) of Arti cle 20.  For our subsequent meetings the following
background papers should therefore be prepared by the Secretariat for discussion among Members:G/AG/NG/W/6
Page 2
- our first proposal would be a paper on experiences from implementing the
Agreement, which together with national contributions would enable Member states
to address pertinent aspects relating to Article 20(a);
- second, a paper should be prepared on the Agreement's effects on world trade in
agriculture, as referred to in Article 20(b).  This paper should contain neutral
information on the most important actual facts and trends;
- a third paper, relating to Article 20(c), should be a factual summary paper on non-
trade concerns, based on the AIE process.  This paper should list the various non-
trade concerns raised by Members and briefly report on the various proposals made
by Members regarding how NTCs should be addressed in the reform process;
- as a fourth proposal we would like the Secretariat to prepare a factual paper
identifying other international agreements an d declarations that have relevance for the
agricultural negotiations.
As we see it, discussion among Members on these issues should enable us to develop a
common understanding, which could guide us in setting the right priorities for more specific
negotiations.
Benchmarks, timetables and reporting
In our view it is practical to hold Special Sessions back-to-back to the regular meetings of the
Committee on Agriculture.  If deemed necessary due to the workload, additional meetings could be
considered.
As regards benchmarks for our further work, we should proceed step-by-step.  Sufficient time
should be allowed to elaborate proposals.  Norway would like to stress that the end of the year might
be an appropriate target date for proposals, which could then be subject to more substantive
discussions in the next phase.
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