Statement by Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the Adoption of the General Council Decision on the WTO Doha Development Agenda

August 1, 2004

I welcome the adoption of the decision by the WTO General Council on August 1 in Geneva. The decision is an interim agreement that will serve as a basis for final agreement of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations. The negotiations continued through the night with heated discussions until the very last phase. I believe the outcome owes much to the efforts of Mr. Yoshiyuki Kamei, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr. Shoichi Nakagawa, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the responsible officials from the ministries concerned.
The content of the recent decision contains what was aimed at last year's Cancun Ministerial Conference. Now that the agreement has been reached, I perceive the talks as back on track. The Government of Japan appreciates the decision as it includes content that will serve as a basis for achieving a well-balanced final agreement following comprehensive negotiations in the future, and prepares ground for pursuing non-trade concerns in agriculture at future negotiating tables.
Maintaining and strengthening the multilateral trade system is an important issue not only for Japan but also for world trade as a whole to achieve stability and prosperity. Following the decision of the General Council, we must further brace ourselves to strive for concluding the Doha Development Agenda talks successfully. Japan intends to make constructive contributions to future negotiations while securing its own interests.

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