Lamy says Inter-Parliamentary Union must strive for clearing multilateral trade imbalances

24 Jun '06

3 min read

Draft modalities announce the Beginning of a Marathon — LAMY Director-General Pascal Lamy, in his opening address to the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Conference on the WTO in Geneva on 22 June 2006, said next week is "a crucial moment for the negotiations" with a number of ministers aiming to narrow differences in industrial and agricultural goods.

"We have now a once in a generation opportunity to correct imbalances in multilateral trade—I ask that we not waste it", he said.

Opening address by Mr. Pascal Lamy, WTO Director-General:

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to meet you all again. We had met last September here and subsequently in Hong Kong. I believe that my visit to you is particularly timely; not only becomes it comes before some crucial times for the WTO and for the Doha Development Agenda, but also because it takes place in the wake of two very important reports that you have just issued:

One, on the results of a questionnaire on how parliamentarians perceive, and deal with, international trade; and, another, on the role of parliaments in scrutinizing and influencing trade policy. Personally, I have found the two reports enlightening, and must thank you for the time and energy that you are investing in seeing how best to handle international trade.

I have also taken note of the resolution you adopted in Nairobi in May on the need to obtain an appropriate status at WTO Ministerial Conferences — an issue that I have discussed at length with Mr. Anders Johnsson earlier this year.

More World Trade Organization News... More Textiles News - Switzerland...