Officials gather to sign trade treaty
Officials gather to sign trade treaty
MARREKESH, Morocco (Reuter): In the main square of Marrakesh's old city, amid dancing monkeys and street musicians, stands a small pavilion filled with mobile telephones made by Philips, Motorola and British Telecom.
"We've been here three days and sold lots, especially phones," said a saleswoman for the Moroccan firm that set up the display. "I can't rent them but I can sell you one."
The officials from more than 120 countries descending on this Moroccan town to sign a new world trade treaty could not have asked for a better illustration of an open trading system.
Marrakesh, where the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade's (GATT) seven-year Uruguay Round will end next week, is both a pleasant spot for trade negotiators to congratulate themselves and an object lesson in the virtues of free trade.
The round, which began in the Uruguayan beach resort of Punta Del Este in 1986, is designed to boost world trade by hundreds of billions of dollars by cutting tariffs and opening up markets.
Some 2,500 to 3,000 officials are expected at the April 12- 15 meeting, many of them more intent on celebrating after their seven-year struggle than carrying on serious trade talks.
Finalized in December, the treaty and its tariff schedules run to more than 22,000 pages and weighs 175 kilos, covering everything from air transport to zucchini.
It would seem that GATT, which has 123 members and counting, is unable to do anything in a minimalist fashion.
Each of the more than 120 ministers at Marrakesh will have several minutes to speak publicly on the treaty, a process that will take up the better part of three days.
The final ceremony on Friday, when each minister will put pen to paper to sign the treaty, is due to last four hours.
The meeting will also create a committee to study how to boost world trade while limiting damage to the environment, an issue dear enough to the heart of U.S. Vice President Al Gore that he flying in for the meeting.
Some substantive negotiations are expected, including a round between the United States and the European Union on opening up the multi-billion dollar government procurement market to international competition.
The one issue that threatened to spoil the party here -- a quarrel over a U.S. demand for a study of whether developing countries win unfair trade advantages because of poor working conditions -- has been resolved.
Officials in Geneva reached a compromise on Thursday that allows the United States to raise the topic of workers' rights but rules out substantive talks on the subject at Marrakesh.
As a result negotiators may have a bit more time to lounge by their hotel pools or explore a city founded in the 11th Century.