Convergence within our reach: Lamy to General Council
27 Jul '07
4 min read
Director-General Pascal Lamy, in his report to the General Council on 27 July 2007, said recent meetings pointed to the negotiators' “high level of commitment to concluding the Round”. He also noted “some significant differences” but that “convergence is within our reach if you are all ready to show the necessary will and flexibility to close the gaps”.
Since my last report to the General Council in May, the TNC has held two informal meetings, on 6 and 22 June, and one formal meeting which took place yesterday. My opening remarks at yesterday's meeting were made available to delegations in document JOB(07)/130, but I think it is important to highlight a few aspects of what I said.
The major recent development in our negotiations has been the circulation of draft modalities texts by the Chairs of the Agriculture and NAMA negotiating groups, as I foreshadowed in my report to the Council in May.
As the Chairs have underlined, these are draft texts. They are not negotiated or agreed texts. The negotiation is up to the participants in the negotiations, and now they are able to negotiate at a more concrete, intense and specific level.
Both Chairs made it very clear from the start that their draft modality papers are only another step in the process and that they will have to be revised in the light of the views expressed by participants.
The papers identify possible areas of convergence and areas where gaps will still need to be bridged. That is now up to the participants to undertake in the process that the Chairs are running with my full support.
Many views have been expressed on the texts in informal sessions of the negotiating groups earlier in the week, and in the TNC yesterday. I am sure we have all taken careful note of them.
Delegations now have the month of August to reflect fully, and then they should be in a position to return to the process prepared to engage in an intensive negotiation as from 3 September, starting with agriculture, to be followed later in the month by NAMA.
Over the last month, delegations have responded to my call at the informal TNC meeting on 22 June to step up their level of substantive engagement in the multilateral process run by the Negotiating Group Chairs.
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