Cairns Group To Develop "Ultimate Outcome" For 1999 WTO Talks

Trade and Agriculture Minister Lockwood Smith leaves for Sydney tomorrow for a Cairns Group trade ministers' meeting designed to further develop the group's strategy for the World Trade Organisation's 1999 agricultural trade liberalisation negotiations.

Top of the agenda will be the development of a vision statement of broad objectives and principles for the 1999 negotiations.

"The key objective of the meeting is for ministers to identify our ultimate outcome from the WTO negotiations," Dr Smith said. "That will give us a set of common objectives for which the Cairns Group can work together in a coordinated manner."

The meeting will also further develop the Cairns Group's strategy for the 1999 WTO negotiations. Last year in Rio de Janeiro, New Zealand presented a broad strategy to ensure that the 1999 negotiations are effectively prepared for and launched. That strategy has been built on in the lead-up to this year's meeting. This year's meeting will consider the role of the WTO trade ministers' meeting to be held in Geneva in May and how to build greater support for trade liberalisation from other WTO members.

While in Sydney, Dr Smith will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Australia, Thailand, and Argentina.

The Cairns Group consists of 14 members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Paraguay, the Philippines, Thailand and Uruguay. Hungary, which used to be a member, has left the group with its focus now on the EU, while South Africa is expected to join this week. The Cairns Group's objective is to promote the liberalisation of trade in agricultural products.