WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/AG/NG/W/158
5 April 2001
(01-1741)
Committee on Agriculture
Special SessionOriginal:  English
SEVENTH SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
26-28 MARCH 2001
Statement by Cyprus
Cyprus would like to join other countries in expressing satisfaction for the work carried out
during the first phase of the negotiations.  In our vi ew, it is now much easier to set a balanced agenda
for the second phase.
As regards the issues and the challenges that need to be addressed during the second phase of
the current round of negotiations, the delegation of Cyprus would like to associate itself with the
comments made by the distinguished delegate of the European Communities.
The experiences of my country during the last six years of implementation of the Agreement
on Agriculture, confirm that there are tangible benefits to be gained from trade liberalization.  At thesame time, they have demonstrated quite vividly that agriculture has very unique features closely
related to important societal goals and concerns, such as the maintenance of a living countryside, the
environment and food safety.  It is a very sensitive sector especially in a country like Cyprus which
suffers from erratic and highly variable rainfall and, to some extent, is threatened by desertification.
We concur therefore with all those who argue that agriculture needs to be treated with care
and that the reform process must be carried out gradually, to provide sufficient time for the necessaryadjustments and changes to be made.
The challenge here is to find the right balance between trade and non-trade concerns and, in
our view, this can be done by adhering to two very important principles:
- first, each measure should be checked for its effect on trade – using actual trade
statistics, not only theory – and every effort should be made to minimise trade
distortion;
- second, we should take non-trade concerns seriously and try to find ways to satisfy
them in a flexible manner, commensurate with each country's priorities and particular
conditions.
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