|
||
|
TWN
Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Jun21/18) Geneva, 28 Jun (D. Ravi Kanth) – The World Trade Organization director-general Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on 25 June suggested that the proposed ministerial meeting on fisheries subsidies on 15 July could enable ministers to act as “a bit of good cop,” and “a bit of bad cop” over their trade envoys for advancing the negotiations and provide a way forward, said people familiar with the development. The DG ruled out the prospect of concluding the fisheries subsidies negotiations at the 15 July meeting as members remain far apart on the core issues. At an informal Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) meeting, Ms Okonjo-Iweala said categorically that the meeting is not intended to conclude the negotiations. The underlying rationale, she suggested, is to bring “capitals” (implying ministers) to the “hot seat” for providing “political will” and “political authorization” to their “ambassadors” for hastening the negotiations on the unresolved issues, according to people, who took part in the meeting. She said that when ambassadors often push difficult issues to their capitals for instructions, it is important to bring capitals/ministers into the direct play to provide the requisite political guidance to the trade envoys. When asked about the value/utility of the ministerial meeting, as ambassadors prepare the statements for their respective ministers to deliver during their three-minute interventions, Ms Okonjo-Iweala said she expects ministers to act as a bit of “good cop” as well as a bit of “bad cop” for directing their trade envoys to show flexibility. “When I talk to ministers there seems to be a will to conclude the negotiations and then we get here to Geneva then there is a little stop”, a situation of “good cop, bad cop” scenario, she said. “So we will try the ministers as a bit of good cop, a little bit of a bad cop that day,” she said. The meeting, which will commence at 8 am on 15 July, will have three sessions, in which the chair of the WTO’s fisheries subsidies negotiations, Ambassador Santiago Wills from Colombia, will play a major role. Ahead of the meeting, he plans to issue his second revised draft consolidated text on 30 June and also circulate a set of two or three questions on 2 July for ministers to answer at the ministerial meeting on 15 July. Speaking from the dais along with the DG, Ambassador Wills said that the upcoming ministerial meeting is about moving towards “landing zones.” Several members raised issues pertaining to logistics as well as the difficulties involved in the participation of their ministers due to differing time zones. Based on the report that will be issued by Ambassador Wills under his own responsibility after the first session, there will be further discussion on the way forward during the second session based on the chair’s assessment. And subsequently, the DG will make a concluding statement under her own responsibility, said people, who preferred not to be quoted. The US asked for the circulation of the three questions as soon as possible, while the United Kingdom sought clarity on the way forward. China urged the DG and the chair to circulate a draft statement on the way forward so that the ministers can reflect appropriately. India asked whether ministers can respond to the way forward after listening to the DG’s concluding statement. India said the questions must be balanced and not one-sided, while the EU sought clarifications whether the meeting is about discussing process-related issues for accelerating the negotiations. New Zealand expressed concerns on the way forward as well as on the DG’s statement that the meeting is not about concluding the fisheries subsidies negotiations. Apparently, trade ministers of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) group recently reaffirmed their commitment to conclude the fisheries subsidies negotiations by the end of July.
|
||
