WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/L/311
14 September 1999
(99-3765)
Original:  French
SÃO TOMÉ AND PRINCIPE
Request for Observer Status at the 1999 Ministerial Conference
The following communication, dated 10 August 1999, received from the Minister for
Economic Affairs of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe, is circulated to Members.
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I have the honour to write in my capacity as Minister for Economic Affairs of the Democratic
Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.
As you know, the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe has a keen interest in the
activities of the WTO.  Our country already took part in a high-level meeting for developing countriesheld in Geneva in October 1997.  It has also participated in various cooperation and technical
assistance activities for the purpose of training our civil servants in connection with WTO-related
matters.
The Government of São Tomé has repeatedly expressed an interest in obtaining observer
status in the WTO.  In particular, Dr. Idalino Lo pes dos Ramos Rita, Director of Trade and Industry,
was recently in Geneva in connection with a training activity organized by the WTO.  He tookadvantage of his stay there to meet with WTO Secretariat officials in order to obtain information on
the technical and legal aspects of the modalities of our country's accession to the WTO.
With respect to the forthcoming WTO Minist erial Conference to be held in Seattle,
United States, from 30 November to 3 December 1999, I wish to inform you that our country would
like to participate in the Conference as an observer in order to be able to advance further in our
accession process.  Furthermore, this will enable us to take part in an event of the utmost importance
as regards international trade and in particular the role that least-developed countries should play
within the WTO institutional framework in the near future.
Having regard to our country's situation, I should also like to request you and the WTO
Secretariat to examine the possibility of defrayin g the costs of participation in the Ministerial
Conference of two or three senior officials from the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.
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