Statement of Ambassador Linnet Deily
to the Trade Negotiations Committee

Geneva,
December 9, 2004

Mr. Chairman,

· When we last met, the discussion was strongly colored by general uncertainty. There were questions about the transitions both in the United States and Europe, and how they might affect the negotiations.

· In the United States today the picture is much clearer. We continue to be ambitious and aggressive in our approach to the DDA negotiations. While we have our own domestic requirements in 2005, we see no obstacles to progress.

· This has been Ambassador Zoellick’s message at APEC last month, and this week in Europe and Africa. He is focused on the importance of moving the DDA forward and building upon the good work that was achieved in July.

· We appreciate that the EU has made similar signs of commitment to the DDA.

· We agree with the Director-General that we will need to intensify our work in the New Year. The work to date has been useful in laying the foundations for the tough issues that are ahead of us.

· We welcome the reports of the Chairs which reflects the hard work that is being done in all areas of the negotiations.

· We note the more positive atmosphere that Ambassador Jara cited from the Services cluster last week, including the additional offers - but we also note and concur with his assessment that more progress is required.

· Like others, we need to find a way to develop the overall agenda so that as decisions are taken, no negotiating area is left behind. That may mean differences in terms of approaches and number of meetings, but we are looking for a balanced result and that requires across-the-board engagement.

· It also means that we in Geneva need to consider carefully our timetable for progress, how we use the next months to prepare the ground for Hong Kong and maximize our accomplishments for the Ministerial Conference.

· At home, our colleagues have intensified their consultations to ensure that we are focused on the right questions, the right issues in terms of commercial importance and ensuring that we have the right mix of ambition and flexibility in our work. Now we need to focus on the hard substantive questions in all areas of the negotiations.

· Clearly, while Geneva will remain the locus of work, greater interaction with capitals, involving both senior officials and ministers will ensure progress. Our task here in Geneva is to make sure that we keep the negotiations focused so that we maximize the potential for progress as events outside of Geneva take place – whether it is at APEC or the OECD next year, or at the upcoming meetings of the G20 in India, or the many other events that will bring Ministers together in regional or other configurations.

· There is no magic formula for success, so we will need to employ a variety of approaches and adapt these approaches as we go along.

· As we look ahead then, it will be important for us to explore what reasonable benchmarks and milestones we can use to ensure that the substantive issues move ahead in negotiating areas, and adjust and accommodate concerns as we move forward. We certainly are ready to do so.