PHILIPPINE TRADE SECRETARY PLEASED WITH GATT TALKS
Philippine Secretary of
Trade and Industry Jose Concepcion, who two days ago expressed
doubts about agreements produced at international conferences,
said he was pleased with the latest gathering here.
    Concepcion told Reuters in an interview that the informal
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) meeting gave
ministers from more than 20 nations the chance to examine
issues with which GATT did not have the political will to deal.
    "Also, the role of the developing countries has been
emphasised in this particular meeting. Somehow it has been the
perception of developing countries that GATT is a club of rich
countries," he added in an interview with Reuters.
    "In fact many of the issues that have been tabled for
discussion (in the Uruguay round of trade negotiations) will be
of more benefit to the developed countries," he said.
    Concepcion said at the start of the Taupo meeting that the
Uruguay round was meant to be a "shining act of faith" in the
world trade system.
    Concepcion said the Philippines would address the issues of
trade in tropical fruit and the improvement of GATT machinery
to make it more responsive.
    He said tropical fruit came from developing countries but
faced non-tariff barriers, quantitative restrictions or very
high duties in other nations. Concepcion named Japan and South
Korea as examples.
    He said he would go to Wellington for talks with New
Zealand, which had a surplus in trade with the Philippines, to
encourage it to switch imports from other countries. He noted
that New Zealand bought its bananas from Ecuador.
 REUTER
