MINISTERIAL CHAIR JOHN TSANG ANNOUNCES FACILITATORS FOR HONG KONG SUMMIT

Hong Kong Commerce, Industry and Technology Secretary John Tsang, who will chair the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference, announced on 2 December a slate of six ministers who will help him facilitate negotiations at the summit.

At WTO ministerial summits, such facilitators play a role somewhat similar to that played in Geneva by the chairs of the different negotiating groups, helping to broker compromise over particularly sticky issues in the discussions.

In Hong Kong, Pakistani Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan will deal with the negotiations on non-agricultural market access (NAMA). His Kenyan counterpart, Mukhisa Kityui, will address the even more contentious agriculture negotiations. Guyanese Foreign Minister Clement Rohee will try to facilitate the talks on specific development-related issues such as special and differential treatment (S&D) for developing countries. NAMA, agriculture, and S&D were recently identified by WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy as the "most difficult issues" at this point in the Doha Round negotiations.

In addition, three ministers are to serve as "facilitators at large": Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-Chong, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store, and Chilean Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker. It is not clear how they will divide work on the other negotiating issues, including services and rules, among each other.

During the summit, negotiations will take place in a wide variety of formal and informal settings. In addition, two one-hour slots have been reserved each day for delegations to meet with each other. There will also be at least one informal heads-of-delegation meeting every day.

The Ministerial Conference will take place from 13-18 December.

ICTSD reporting.