Both the Agriculture and NAMA negotiating groups have met over the last two days to hear initial reactions to the texts. As the two Chairs informed participants in their fax on 5 July, delegations now have the month of August to reflect fully on the draft texts, and then be in a position to return to the process prepared to engage in an intensive negotiation as from 3 September. I would urge all of you to fully use the month of August to examine the texts in detail, to consult, discuss and engage bilaterally among you.
It is important that everybody be fit and ready on the starting line at that time. We have already come a long way in this Round, and the distance left to go is not so great. But it will require an extra effort. This effort means being open to compromises, while still respecting the mandate and aims of the Round. It means intensive work, knowing that there are no shortcuts. And it means negotiating with each other instead of trying to negotiate with the Chairs.
Let me stress once again that the Round is a Single Undertaking covering a broad agenda with development at its heart.
When we come back after the summer break, the focus cannot be exclusively on Agriculture and NAMA. We will need to achieve a commensurate level of progress in other areas of the negotiations, in line with the full Doha mandates, the July 2004 Decision and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. This is the only possible path to an ambitious, balanced and development-oriented outcome to the Round.
Finally, I would like to update you briefly on the issues of Geographical indications (GI) extension and the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). After the General Council's meeting in February, DDG Yerxa held consultations on my behalf in open-ended and other formats on arrangements for further work on these issues. In the light of these consultations, he encouraged delegations to meet among themselves with a view to finding more common ground.
More recently, he has consulted with delegations in various formats, largely to keep in touch with processes of discussion that have taken place between interested delegations. Mr. Yerxa stands ready to pursue these consultations, on my behalf, whenever developments in the negotiations make it appropriate to do so.
To sum up, back to work on 3 September ready to engage in intensive negotiations.
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