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World Trade Organization (WTO) Remarks 5/18/98
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�'\''
PUBLIC STATEMENTS
The primary purpose of the President's visit is to attend
World Trade Organization meetings.
The following bullets
are for inclusion in arrival ceremony or other remarks as
appropriate.
•
It is a great pleasure to return to witzerland, a sister
republic, one of the world's oldest democraciesr and-a
couR:1?ry '#hose vad:~nd j .nterests w.e.-J:;.~~e.
•
It is also a pleasure to return to the great city of
Geneva, host city to so many international organizations
which help to ~nsure the world's security, peace and
prosperity.
.
•
I will be meeting today with th~--wTSS Government for a
g ~a 1 e x-e.fJ.·a·ng·e-Qf'f 3 i e ws -e;n-e·trr-st-r-eft(~ji'liJ:ct-±mpo-r-t-a·n t
r.~ati.onshi.g _.
vv.:. ~~ !L~,
c.:-;·-."""""""' c:;::-~1 ~
~~c, f, ~
""ii-ttQ Jt lw~
1
'~e~~ing
•
I will also expr€1s,:?. my appreciation for
witzerland has ~ in the last two years to provide
justice to Holocaust victims and to condemn antiemitism.
•
With its historical commission, Volcker Committee and
pecial Holocaust Fund,
witzerland has played a pathbreaking role recently, and it is ~ encouraging to see
l'Ua:flY other countries ~- following ~>~ /
•
This current review of Holocaust-related issues ~~
important effort to redress the wrongs that were swep~~~~
under the rug
t_he j mmedia-te post-war ~-HI: all r---~
our countriest preoccupied a~r,e~etting Europe
..
back on its f et and gearing up for the Cold War.
lif·
.
.
~-
We, too, in the United tates are undertaking an
historical review and are now looking at next steps on
our own part.
/~
J~
�Drafted by EUR/AG :RvHeuven
7-1484
U/Public Files/Clinton to Z/press-public events
material/public statements
Clearances:
EUR:Jgadsden
EUR/AG :RvanHeuven
D:Msullivan ok
P:B tephenson ok
/P:Aweiss ok
PA:LmcClenny ok
E:Bfreeman ok
E:Jdesler ok
ok
�Draft 5/16/98 12:15amGMT
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
ADDRESS TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
GENEVA, SWITZERLANDMay 18,1998
raged":-~!~~~ly,
On January II, 1944, as battles
President Franklin
Roosevelt asked the people of the United States, and the world, to. look ahead to peace. He
believed, he said that day, that "a basic essential to permanent peace is a decent standard of living
for all individual men and women and children in all nations. 'Freedom from fear' is eternally
linked with 'freedom from want.'"
Fifty years ago, a farsighted generation of leaders acted on the bitter lessons of
protectionism, devastating depression and war: They launched and waged a struggle for the
revolutionary idea that freedom - free markets, the free flow of ideas, the free movement of
people would be the surest route to the greatest prosperity for all. They were confident that
growing interdependence would lead to greater peace among nations. And the economic
alliances and institutions they created- the IMF, the World Bank, the GATT- built a platform
for prosperity that has lasted to this day.
In the fullness of time, they have been proven spectacularly right. World trade has
increased fifteenfold. A trading community that began with 23 member nations now embraces
132 countries. And Russia and China, lands where the shackles of state socialism once choked
off enterprise, are moving to join the thriving community of free economies. We are living at the
moment of freedom's greatest trium~~- . ~ _
-
•
&,-,tww~-
Today, 1
,
o us to master the challenges of our times. For we, '""'··
the generation o
, are living through a profound transformation that is literally "''-r ..So
shrinking our w rd. We are creating a new economy: driven by technology, powered by
ingenuity, drawn together through links of commerce and communication. On an iven da ,
over 3 million people take to the air on commercial flights. Where 3 tleeeee ago,- p one mes
could only accommodate 80 calls at one time between Europe and the U.S., day'they can
accommodate I million. And while in the United States and elsewhere, economic output has
tripled, the physical weight of the goods produced has actually remained the same. The world's
new wealth come~f~ !~[!7wer of ideas._
.
This chuming~A,ic new global economy offers untold opportunity. It poses the
possibility of lifting billions of people into a worldwide middle class. Yet this same global
economy contains within it the seeds of new disruptions, new instabilities, new threats to
prosperity. The choice is ours. We have it within our power to create a world trading system
attuned to the pace and scope of the new global economy, one that offers opportunity for all our
'
people. And we have a duty to create it.
Today, let me state unequivocally that America is committed to open trade among
all nations. Economic freedom and open trade have brought us unprecedented prosperity
in the 20th Century- liWld•.Uutt is wko.t ill widen the circle of opportunity in the 21 51
Century. We must press forward, red ubling our efforts to tear down barriers to the free
flow of commerce, of ideas, of inform ti()n. And at the same time, we must recognize that
as the global economy reaches ever d per, touching more and more of our people, we must
make certain that it serves to lift the up.
�We took the first, vital step when we created the World Trade Organization in 1995, a
goal that had eluded our predecessors for half a century. The Uruguay Round that founded the
WTO amounted to the biggest tax cut in world history -- $76 billion a year when fully
implemented. And in just four years, world trade is up 25%.
In the years since, we have begun to build the infrastructure for the new economy, with
historic agreements on Information Technology, telecommunications, and financial services
·affecting over $1 trillion in global commerce each year.
And we have widened our efforts, seeking to strengthen all the international economic
institutions that produce stability and prosperity. I was just in Birmingham, England, where the
leaders of the G-8 discussed ways to strengtehn the international financial architecture so that
private capital markets can spur rapid growth while mimizing the risk of worldwide economic
instability. ·
Now, we must build on these achievements with a new vision of trade, to build a modem
WTO ready for the 21st Century.
·
First, we must recognize that in the new economy, the way we conduct trade affects
~
the lives and livelihood, the health and the safety, of every family around the world.
And our new vision must recognize that economic growth pursued without vision or
compassion for the way it may affect working men and women in every country, and without
regard for its environmental consequences, is growth that contains the seeds of its own
destruction.
~
cMJA
t
,!_ "f,
Few generations have seen so much change, so quickly. And no matter how beneficial,
change of this pace and scope can create uncertainty and anxiety on the part of our people. In <JOVof W~
many of the nations represented here, certainly in the United States, many people are nervous ~~
~J!.d
about the global economy - worried that it will uproot their jobs and undercut their incomes,
~
worried that as the world moves forward, they will be left behind. We must do more to make
sure that this new economy lifts living standards around the world, and that spirited economic ~
competition among nations never be
ce to the bottom in environmental and consumerio ~
protections. We should level up, n t leel do . We must act, and act decisively, to build a ~'e....
broad public consensus in support o
al economy. Working people will only assume theJJt;t ~
risks of a free international market if they have the confidence that this system will be made ttq~~
work for them. And open trade can only
've with the support of the broad public. '
.a..:t
u{
.
~
\4H1tv
this~ ·
-w;-
The WTO was created to lift the lives of ordinary citizens. And we can achieve
only if we hear the voices of those citizens directly. I propose that this organization, for the first
time, provide a forum where business, labor, environmental and consumer groups, indeed all
those who have a stake in our system, can speak out and help guide the further evolution of the'}.
~When this body convenes again, I believe that world's trade ministers should sit down/
with these representatives of the broad public to begin this discussion.
2
5
�In all this,
~environmental
r;:t-.f!"t.
J.. t
~
L~
mu make certain the world trading system enhances labor and
·
in every country.
ced trade can and should enhance -- and not undercut -- the preteetieH ef tfte
envir
ent. International trade rules must permit.sovereign nations to exercise their right to set
ective standards for health, safety and the environment and biodiversity. Nations have a
sovereign right to pursue those protections -- even when they are stronger than international
norms. I am asking that a high-level meeting be convened, to bring together trade and
_ environmental ministers, to provide strong direction and new energy to the WTO's
~ environmental efforts in the years to come.
And the WTO and the International Labor Organization must work together, to make
certain that open trade lifts living conditions, and respects the core labor standards that are
essential not only to workers rights, but to human rights everywhere. I ask those two
organizations to convene a joint high-level meeting to discuss these issues. And I call on all of
you to join me in supporting the ILO's adoption of a new declaration and a meaningful follow-up
mechanism on these core labor standards when the ILO ministers meet next month in Geneva.
And each of us, in our own nations, must do everything we can to give all our people the
tools to make the most of their lives in the new economy. In the United States, we have
committed to making education our top priority - from expanding access to preschool, to
demanding higher standards in our public schools, to opening the doors of college to every
citizen, to reforming our job training system so that workers can choose the best way to learn
new skills. In the new economy, the wealth of nations will come not only from gold in the
ground, or crops on the field, or the output of factories, but the minds and creatitivities of our
people. We have a moral obligation to prepare our people to reap the rewards of open trade.
Second, we must modernize the WTO by opening its doors to the scrutiny and
participation of the public.
~oward
Each of our own nations has reached
greater democracy and
accountability. We have learned, through long trial and error, that governments work best when
their operations are open to those who are affected by their actions - that, as Supreme Court
Justice Louis Brandeis famously said in my country, "sunshine is the best of disinfectants."
A world trading system that cloaks its operations in unnecessary secrecy will only earn
the distrust of ordinary citizens everywhere. A world trading system that only hears the voices of
government officials will seem tone-deafto too many of our people. So I call on the WTO to
take every feasible step to bring openness and accountability to its operations.
Today, when one nation challenges the trade practices of another, the proceeding takes
place behind closed doors. So I propose that all hearings by the WTO be open to the public, and
all briefs by the parties be made publicly available. To achieve this end, we must chahge the
rules of this organization. But each of us can do our part now. The United States today
formally offers to open up every panel that we are a party to - and I challenge every other nation
to join us in making this happen.
Today, there is no mechanism for private citizens to provide input in these trade disputes.
So I propose that the WTO provide a formal channel for stakeholders, such as the ability to file
'amicus briefs', to help inform the panels in their deliberations.
3
�Today, the public must wait 2 to 3 weeks to read the report of these panels. So I propose
that the decisions of these trade panels be made available to the public as soon as they are issued.
The third critical step to create a trading system for the 21 51 Century is to seize the
remarkable potential of the Information Age.
The computer revolution is the greatest force for prosperity in our lifetimes. The Internet
is the fastest growing social and economic community in history - a phenomenon that with
unimagined, revolutionary potential to empower billions of people around the world. Five years
ago, there were fifty web sites on the World Wide Web; today, 1.5 million new web pages are
created every day. It has been called the 'death of distance,' making it possible for people to
work together across oceans as if they were working down the hall.
Today, there are no customs duties on telephone calls, fax messages, e-mail, or computer
data links when they cross the border. We have spent fifty years tearing down barriers to trade in
goods and services. Now, let's agree that when it comes to electronic commerce, we will never
erect these barriers in the first place.
So I ask the nations of the world to join the United States in a standstill on any tariffs or
barriers to faxes electronic communications sent across borders. There should be no special
breaks for the Internet, but we cannot allow unfair taxation - or discriminatory tariffs - to stunt
the development of the most promising new economic opportunity in decades. On Friday, Prime
Minister Hashimoto and I agreed to move forward together, with an approach developed by
private business, to enhance privacy, protect intellectual property, and make it safer to conduct
financial transactions across the Internet. I hope we can build a consensus that this is the best
way to harness the remarkable potential of this new means of communication.
The fourth principle must be this: A trading system for the 21 51 Century must be
comprised of governments that are open, honest, and fair in their practices.
The financial turmoil in Asia reminds us that continuing prosperity depends upon
government practices that are based on the rule of law instead of bureaucratic caprice, cronyism,
or corruption. In an interdependent global economy, linked by a web of finance and trade, the
stability of any one country can affect the prosperity of every country.
With its insistence on rules that are fair and open, the WTO plays a powerful role toward
open and accountable government -- but the WTO has not done enough. By next year, all
members of the WTO should agree that government purchases should be made through open and
fair bidding. This single reform could open up $3 trillion of business to competition around the
world. And I ask every nation in the world to agree to the anti-bribery convention developed by
theOECD.
Finally, the fifth way to create a trading system for the 21st Century is this: we must
develop an open global trading system that moves as fast as the marketplace.
We must continue to act, and to act aggressively, to open markets and tear down barriers
around the world. Pressing forward with continued liberalization of trade is essential to the
continued growth of the global economy. I will continue to press the Congress of the United
States for fast track negotiating authority so we can move most effectively to reach these
agreements.
4
�But in an era in which product life-cycles are measured in months, and information and
money move around the globe in seconds, we can no longer afford to take seven years to finish a
trade round, as happened during the Uruguay Round, or let decades pass between identifying and
acting on a trade barrier. In the meantime, new industries arise, new trading blocs take shape,
and governments invent new trade barriers every day.
We must work to develop a new type of trade negotiating round, tearing down barriers
and opening markets without waiting for every issue in every sector to be resolved before any
issue in any sector is resolved. We should do this in a way that is fair and balanced, that takes
into account the needs of nations large and small, rich or poor. But I am confident we can go
about the task of negotiating trade agreements in a way that is faster and better than today.
We have a chance to make enormous progress in vital fields.
Agriculture, for example, is at the heart of America's economy, and many of yours-- and
tearing down barriers to global trade is critical to meet the food needs of a growing world
population. Starting next year, we should aggressively reduce tariffs, subsidies, and other
distortions that restrict productivity in agriculcure. We must develop rules, rooted in science,
that will encourage the full fruits of biotechnology. And I propose that even before negotiations
near conclusion, WTO members should pledge to continue making annual tariff and subsidy
reductions -- ensuring that there is no pause in reform.
We must recognize that the fastest growing industry in the world is services -- and the
one least disciplined by WTO rules. So I believe we should launch wide-ranging new
negotiations to ensure openness for dynamic service sectors, such as express delivery,
environmental services, energy, audio-visual, and professional services.
We continue our strong momentum to further dismantle industrial tariffs. A .good place
to start would be an agreement on the sectors - from chemicals to environmental technology that proposed by APEC.
A trading system that honors our values. A WTO that is open and accountable. A
trade system in sync with the Information Age. A commitment to combatting corruption. And
a new approach to trade talks, so we can move forward in a broad range of ways to push back
the frontiers of free trade. This must be our new agenda, and more. And to move forward
with this agenda of open markets and open institutions to build a global economy that works
for our people in the 21st Century -I am inviting the trade ministers of the world to hold their
next meeting inthe United States in 1999. We can make this a time of decision and action.
I ask all of you to think about the opportunity that has been presented to us. A brilliant
revolution in technology and communications has given us the chance to create a m;w
international economy . . . one in which the skills of ordinary citizens power the prosperity of
entire nations . . . in which a global economy honors those same values that are at the core of
our national commitments . . . in which poor people enter the world economy and become
sources of prosperity themselves . . . in which interdependence among nations' enhances peace
and security for all. This can be the world of the 21 51 Century. It will be the world of the 21st
Century but only if we have the wisdom and determination, the courage and clarity, of our
forbears did a half century ago.
5
�Thank you and God Bless ...
t
6
'
�Draft 5/16/98 12:15amGMT
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
ADDRESS TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
May 18l 1998 ·
.
"\.. . ,
~~~G. w~~,=~l~~~~~~u.~ ~
On January ll, 1444, as batf:les+
n1f'WU;J1nni~~ President Franklin
~
Roosevelt~~~~~Jtit;~~le~i~~~ ~~
·believed~ he saieltl'i~that "a basic essential to permanent peace is a decent standard of living~~
for all individual men and women and children in all nations. 'Freedom from fear' is eternally
linked with 'freedom from want.!!!
Fifty years ago~ a farsighted generation of leaders acted on the bitter lessons of
-----. -·--.
protectionism~
~.
devastating depression and war.
They·iaetBeEliftPltl=~vage-8
..,olutionary idea that freedom- free markets, the free flow of ideas, the
a stmggle fer the
free movement of
.. ,__... .....
/people -would be the sw·est route to the greatest prosperity for all. They were cmrlldent that
_..
"'
..-·'
/
(\
~~\~
gro\vin~interdependence
would lead to greater peace amm1g nations. And the economic
alliances and institutions they created- the IMF, the World Bank, the GATT- built a platfonn
for prosperity that has lasted to this day.
In the fullness of time~ they have been proven spectacularly right. World trade has
increased fifteenfold. A trading co.nununity that began wi~h 23 member nations now embraces
,-
1
· 132 countries . .-.Russia and China,~ where the shackles of,~W.~~~-socialism 1~qe..choked
!
,~
~~~T'*a ~~'tw.~~s 1
~~
;;.ff enterp( ,1~f~ moving_ to join the thriving comt~unity of free e~onomies. We are- Hvi~ ~~
~
'
~~~~~.~'-~~~~
\
~~~w.~~.
..
'
u
)'L~.
•
~ t trt\ '\\w. A~\'!\~.\.-~ ~ .
Today, in rhts time fu5pe, it falls to us to master cfre challenges of Qw: times, Fof we,
m
"tit~-genera:tioli
of the miUeMtmn. me living~ a l'refoond tiassfe.l=madea that is liter-aRy
1
�: ~~~We are c::•ti~ew ec.onomy: driven by techno~, powere~ by
mgenmty,~~\~~ug~nk~ efeomme!'ee arui eeHmJ:YB.ieatte\!:_On any g1Ven day,
over ~ million people take to the air on commercial flights. ~ 3 decades ago, phone lines
could only accommodate 80 calls at one time between Europe and the U.s.: today they can
~~ 1 million. ~e't the United States and elsewhere~ economic output has
triplcd~ysical weight of the goods produced has aem~e~the same.
new .wealth comes ft·om the power of i~;~
The world's
. .
Today, let me state unequivocally that America is committed to open trade among
all nations. Economic freedom and open trade have brought 6.unprecedented prosperity
:mtkk~hitt wUl ·widen the circle of opportunity in the 21 ~~
We must ~~~edoubling our efforts to tear down barriers to the free
in the 20th Century Century.
flow of commerce, of ideas, of information. And at the same time, we must recognize that
as tbe global economy reaches ever deeper, touching more and more of our people, we must
make certain that it serves to lift them ~p.AJJJl ~~ ~ \-t~~u....
�system for the 21st Century that honors our values as it expands opportunity.
We took the first, vital step when we created the Wol'ld Trade Organization in
1995~
a
goal that had eluded otu· predecessors for half a century. The Uruguay Round that founded the
WTO amounted to the biggest tax cut in world history-- $76 billion a year when fully
implemented. And in just four years, world trade is up 25%.
~t<l\~)
i:n the-yeftf.'S-.&i:ace, we have begun to build the infrastructure for the new economy, with
historic agreements on Information Technology, telecommunications, and financial· services
affecting over $1 trillion in global commerce each year.
'
.....
.
~G--~~~~~liJJ.~.UU.t.\~~~~
.
-A:.n:d-'"'C"have ~\"idetrethmt efforts, see:Km~then all the iaternatioaal eoonemic
inst~ ~odttee
s+abtltty-and prospency. I was just ifl: l:liRniHg1lam,. Eagland, ~the
~~lC G 8 aiselil:ss~..,.,~ to strengtehn the international financial architecture so that
private capital markets can spur rapid growth while mimi zing the risk of worldwide economic
instability.
Now, we must build on these achievements with a new vision of trade, to build a modem
WTO ready for the 21st Centtu'Y.
First, we must~=~!.~~~::~=~
the lives and livelihood, tlte health and the safety, of every family around the world.
-Ana our B:&W vi-siea mttst recognize-.tft&t ~onomic growth pursued without vision or
compassion for the way it may affect working men and women in every country, and without
regard for its envirorunental consequences, ~s growth that contains the seeds of its own
3
�-
I·IAY 30 ''35
F'. 1
06: 57Pt·l
destruction.
_Few generations ha:v~ seen so much cbang€ 1 lii@""i:I:YckJ~. Aru;l ao matter how,beueficial~
-OO.ange of: this paee tmd se~e-e&a efeate tlfleerta:iaty MEia:ftJdety on the paxt of our peopte....in
m&fij' of tli@..nations rept·eseatea h~e, eertainiy itt the Uaited States, many people..ate ¥.-e.wms
-tMtlt"tbe globtd ecmromy- woniedthm it Wittnproot l'heir Jobs and cmdercutilteit
incom~
wunied that as the ~rltl rtlo:rves..fu.rwmd, they will Be lef~. We must do more to make
sure that this new economy lifts living stand~ds around the world, and that spirited esonomic
~
competition among nations never bec:go a race to the .bottom in environmenta~ conswner
es
G..u.A.~~~
·v
· b-b~~Llw..~
~.
protection~ We should level up, no eel ovvn.. Wentast-aet~~ +o build ll \\..\A
~~rt gfthe ~lobal economy.
Working people will only assume the
risks of a free international market if they have the confidence that this system will
e..~
work for them. ltnd open ttade cmt only rinhrC"'tlfiti:h the SttPfllM e~'*l'>hrorofptthl~t
~ ~~ 1o"t\u,w..
The WTO was ct·eated to lift t11e lives of ordinary citizens~7\:ftd-wc can achieve--thi& emi
~xe '9'oieeg ofthsse eiti;;:eas db:~. I propose thatr~~t~eft~ ~~
time~
provide a forum where business, labor, environmental and consumer groups, imiHd aU
those
woo h&ve a stak:e tfl ~ &¥~ can speak out and help guide the further evolution of the
WTO. \Vhen this body convenes again~ I believe that world,s trade ministers should sit do\vn
with~
representatives ofthe broad public to begin this discussion.
,
J..~.~.ct~~~~~~s~~
~~~ t\ t~~!:.!St ~~~~
~
~'we must'lriii'ifilhe worrn-ttadil'lg'syste~~
--
environmental protections in.every
~1try.
Enhanced trade can and should enhance -~not undercut -- the protection of the
environment. Intematiomu trade rules must permit sovereign nations to exercise their right to set
4
�•
f•li=f'l 30 ' 95
P.l
05 : 41 Pt·1
protective standards for health, safety and the environment and biodiversity. Nations have a
sovereign right to pursue those protections -- even when they are stronger than intetnation
norms. I
am asking that a high-level meeting be convened, to bring together trade and
environmental ministers, to provide strong direction and new energy to tl1e
WTO'~\~
~:::.
environmental efforts in the years to come,
~
~~~~
1
~~:~~~
'\;,~r't:~-
~the WTO and the International Labor Organizatioi\IQ;at work together, to m~e
..
~1 ~
certain that open trade lifts living conditions, and respects the core labor standards that are
'
essential not only to workers rights, but to human rights everywhere.~
·~
~
•ai!i"e*iens=tt1!:4Q&Rne ajoiat h~b le'\"e!-meeting-te diset:tes thes: iss trotS. And I call on all of
you to join me in supporting the ILO's adoption of a new declaration and a meaningful follow-up
~~- )
mechanism on these core labor standards when the I.LO ministers meet next month in Geneva.
V
:·:, ','
ground~
or crops on dte fietd, or the output of factori~s~ but the minds'111Id cxea:titivities-of our
p'bople.
We have a mora:l obligatlon to prepare OW' people to reap fl:ie rewards of ~e.
---.
A
mcondt we must moderniZe tbe WTO by opening its doors to the scrutiny and
participation of the public.
5
�•
!•lAY 3C1
e
'95
P.l
t:::1t:.: 42PI·1
EftGh: ef QUt.g.w:ft nativllS htts reached up 1!1i ara...,wward..g.teater d.em:ecnrey MiEI
.. acco:unta~. We have learned~ through long trial and error, that governments work~best when.
their operations are open to those who are affected by their actions - that,
~~rt
·
Justice Louis Brandeis famously said ir.to•M'' Mlli:Ai.ty, "sunshine is the best of disinfectants."
tlie-distt:ust.of ot~iaar~iti:eeRS ive~r~ ~ 'Norlel ttaaiag s~·sterrrthat ggJy h~ the "~
ge'lennnent ufficnrls wtil seem tone·deafio tuo matly of our J)eep:te.'":.ftOot:iiaon'\he WTO ii
· take every feasible step to bring openness and accountability to its operations.
Today, when one nation challenges the trade practices of another~ the proceeding takes
place behind closed doors:-·' I propose that all hearings by the WTO be open to the public~ and
all briefs by the parties be made publicly available. To achieve this end, we must change the
rules of this organization. But each of us can do our part now. The United States today
fonnally offers to open up every panel that we are a party to - and I challenge every other nation
to join us in making this happen.
Today 1 there is no mechanism for private citizens to provide input in these trade disputes.
~ I propose that the WTO provide a formal channel for stakeholders, such as the ability to file
'amicus briefs', to help infonn the panels in their deliberations.
Today, the public must wait 2 to 3 weeks to read the report'of these panels~ I propose
that the decisions of these trade panels be made available to the public as soon as they are issued.
4''\JL.
The t.f:li:r.d critical step to create a trading system fot· the 2rr Century is to seize the
•·emarkable potential orthe Information Age.
6
�I
•
•
t·1AY 3C1 ''35
IJ5: 43F't·1
P.2
The computer revolution is the greatest force for prosperity in our lifetimes. The Internet
is the fastest growing social and economic community in history - a phenomenon ·that with
unimagined~
revolutionary potential to empower billions of people around the world. Five years
ago, there were fifty web sites on the World Wide Web; today, 1.5 million new web pages are
created every day. It has bee11 called the 'death of distance,' making it possible for people to
work together across oceans as if they were working down the hall.
Today, there are no customs duties on telephone calls, fax messages, e-mail, or computet·
data links when they cross the border. We have spent fifty years tearinB down barriers to trade ilt
goods and services. Now, let's agree that when it comes to electronic commerce, we will never
erect these barriers in the first place. ·
~ I ask the nations of the world to join the United States in a standstill on any tariffs or
barriers to faxes electronic communications sent across borders. There should be no special
breaks for the Internet, but we cannot allow unfair taxation- or discriminatory tariffs- to stunt
the development of the most promising new economic opportunity in decades. On Friday~ Prime
Minister Hashimoto and I agreed to move forward together, with an approach developed by
private business, to enhance privacy, protect intellectual property~ and make it safer to conduct
financial transactions across the Internet. I hope we can build a consensus that this is the best
way to harness the remarkable potential of this new meaus of communication.
comprised of governments that are open, honest, and fair in their practices.
7
�------------------
t·lRY 30 '95
P.l
[15: 51PJ•1
With its insistence on rules that ru·e fair and open, the WTO plays a powerful role toward
open and accountable government-- but the WTO has not done enough. By next year, all
members of the WTO should agree that government purchases should be made through open and
fair bidding. This single refonn could open up $3 trillion of business to competition arouud the
~
world/\ And I ask every nation in the world to agree to the anti-bribery convention developed by
.....
'
the OECD. ~1"\J\.l\.L~ ~-~ lJ.Jti}..~~ U.\J..W~ ~~~~.wL\ a..t~~~ ~Wtvtc~"j'
•.
,~
~~
"
in
t-o
Finally, the tutb.~t&Wt!Mte..a trading system for the 21st Century is .tiah
develop an open global b
""'iiiRI&t
tiug system that moves as fast as the marketplace.
We must continue to ad, !:t::a>it aggressively, to open markets and tear down barriers
around the world. -Fre'ssing-forward with-continued libetirlimitm'"tff ttade is essentia-l to -l:he
-eetttiS:l:lee gra¥vcth oftht;glG&a~~ee~~· I will continue to prs:ss the Congress of the United
States for fast track negotiating authority so we can
mev~ost=e~eij""l:=~
~
agreements.
But in an era in which product life-cycles are measuted in months. and information and
money move around the globe in seconds) we ca11 no longer afford to take seven years to finish a
trade round, as happened during the Uruguay Round~ or let decades pass between identifying and
acting on a trade barrier. In the meantime~ ne~ industries arise, new trading blocs take shape,
and governments invent new trade barriers every day.
8
�f·lA'( 30 ''35
P
05: 53Pt·1
·;:>
.~
We must~· develop a new type of trade negotiating round, tearing down barriers
and opening markets without waiting for every issue in every sector to be resolved before any
issue in anv sector is resolved. We should do this in a way that is fair and balanced, that takes
into account the needs of nations large and small, rich or poor. But I am confident we can go
about the task of negotiating trade agreements in a way that is faster and better than today.
We have a chance to make enonnous progress in vital fields.
Agriculture, for example, is at the heart of America~s·economy, and many of yours-- and
tearing down barriers to global n·ade is critical to meet the food needs of a growing world
population. Starting next year, we should aggressively reduce tariffs,
subsidies~
and other
distortions that restrict productivity in agriculcure. We must develop rules, rooted in science~
that will encourage the full fruits of biotechnology. And I propose that even before negotiations
near conclusion, WTO members should pledge to continue making annual tariff and subsidy
reductions -- ensuring that there is no pause in reform.
\Ve must l'ecognize that the fastest growing industry in the world is services~~ and the
one least disciplined by WTO rules. So I believe we should launch wide-ranging new
ilegotiations to ensure openness for dynamic service sectors~ such as express delivery~
enviromnental services1 energy~ audio~ visual, and professional services.
We continue our strong momentum to further dismantle industrial tariffs. A good place
to start would be an agreement on the sectors- from chemicals to environmental technology that proposed ?r.,APEC.
�. ..
l'lA\' :3fZ1 ''35
P.:3
1]6: 54Pt·1
A trading system that honors our values. A WTO that is open and accountable. A
trade system in sync with the Infmmation Age. A commitment to combatting corruption. ~
<"'-/A. new approach to trade talks, ~eaR Ffte¥11!1 fer-.wMti in a brofttl ra&@e' ekrays to pY.l[bacl..._
r~e. ·~nil~ m~'St'tie"Unr-ftew ageat!a,-tmd lllm'e. ~To move forward
with this agenda -M;ot rr ru:ukets
~A-instiiMtJ
te tfiintl a
gletmi:e~mny tllat wo~s
~ 21st~ - I am inviting the trade ministers of the world to hold their
next meeting in the United States in 1999. We e~E&-tiiS:::a-ion.
f-i~fuink about the opportUnity that has been presented to usi ~tt
TeVOll:rtiOfl'
ia.=tee:tm.aWJWE rd
lN@!J!'!!Iftie!~i8R8 e~
the chance to create a neW
international economy . . . one in which the skills of Ol'dinary citizens power the prosperity of
't'v.r.,
entire nations ... in which,j.global economy honors those same yalues,that are at the core of
.
our national commitments
~~e-A\1_\~.~.,~~t+
... in which poo.r people ~ ~..-.; and become
'
Wv\'~~
sources of prosperity themselves . . . in whicltinterdfpendence among nations enhances peace
...
and security for all. This =be the world of the 2Pt Century. It~~ \'iorld ~t
·@8HlfY"
__.t- if we have the wisdom and determination, the courage and clarity~~ur
forbears did a half century ago.
'f.lt~ui£ you m:ra ~e~ ..
1()
�We also urge the WTO to adopt a formal consultative mechanism to allow regular and
continuous cont~'t with the private sector and NGOS.Others
adopted such mechanisms -the Western Hemisphere nations, for e;ownple, agreed on a Civil Society Committee as part of
their Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations, and the OECD I~ for some time maintained
standing advisory contacts with both business and labor representatives. The WTO would benefit
1 from the same type of exchange.
have
B.
TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT Beyond such institutional issoes, we must also
examine the interaction between expanded trade and other shared policy goals of central
importance to societies.
For example, the creation of prosperity through open trade, and the protection of the
e:avi ronment and the public health, are two basic goals of aU WTO members. These goals need
not conflict, and shou1d be mutually supportive. Where there arc poteutial conflicts, we should
:··'1\t.T.:!;-,.lgthe.n the capability of the WTO's existing mechanisms to resolve such qu.estiom; in a mann
foal bOth ·~e<..ts the environment, health and safety and does not undermine the world trading
system_!_his includes working to ensure that the proper expertise is brought to bear on complex:
tecbnical
scientific issues, particularly those -with environmental, health and safety dimensions.
and
In man)! cases elimination oftrade barriers wiU also contribute to a cleaner environment
the conservation of natural resources. For eM.mple, this can help countries gain access to
cost-efl:bctive equipment and tecllnology. Many of us are engaged in such discussions regionaUy.
The negotiations i.n APEC to eliminate tariffs on env.iromnental goods and services, ft>r example,
can help countries monitor, clean up and prevent poUution, and ensure clean air and water.
Likewise, APEC's talks on eliminating tarifts on energy equipment and services can promote
rapid disse:m.ination of efficient power technologies, thus allowing production of power with
reduced carbon emissions and contrmuting to international efforts to prevent climate change.
<~nd
~~~\
\
..
. using environmental 0
At the same time, as the trading system ensures that members avoid
~-
>;
'•
5tanda.rds as disguised trade barriers, in eliminating barriers to trade we must not compromise on ~~
the maintenance of high levels of environmental, health and 52!fety protection, or in development "'of strong and c:fective measures to realize those standards. And the system runst work together V
with multilateral e.nvirolliJlerii:al institutio:ns. ..f t\~
4!J
·'·
,!
·~.
The Uruguay Round's creation of a Committee on Trade and the Environment was a vezy
important. initial step. However, progress within the Committee has been sloVf. We thus call for a
hi~::h-Jevel meeting ofttade and env.ironment<'ll officials to provide direction and new energy to the
WTO's discussion of trade and environmental policy, well in advance ofthe 1999 Ministerial.
'Then we can expect greater success in identifYing and dealing
with potential trade and
environment conflicts in ways that protect the environment, health and safety and do not
unde.-mine the world trading system.
C.
TRADE AND tsOR STANDry- A basic objective of tbe WTO, and tbe GATT
NJ
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~'(\f. \.
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Dublin Core
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Speechwriting Office - Antony Blinken
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<p>Antony Blinken served in the Clinton Administration as the chief foreign policy speechwriter in the National Security Council Speechwriting Directorate from 1994 thru 1998.</p>
<p>Blinken prepared remarks for President Clinton, Anthony Lake, Samuel Berger, James Steinberg, and General Donald Kerrick. His speechwriting topics cover a variety of subjects for various audiences including but not limited to: foreign trips or head of state visits, United Nations General Assembly addresses, and State of the Union and weekly radio addresses. As an NSC speechwriter, Blinken produced speeches on major foreign policy actions during the Clinton Administration on Haiti, Iraq and Bosnia. The documents in the collection consist of speech drafts, newspaper and magazine articles, memos, correspondence, schedules, and handwritten notes.</p>
<p>This collection was made available through a <a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/freedom-of-information-act-requests">Freedom of Information Act</a> request. </p>
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National Security Council
Speechwriting Office
Antony Blinken
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1994-1998
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<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36017" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://research.archives.gov/description/7585787" target="_blank">National Archives Collection Description</a>
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2006-0459-F
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Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
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Adobe Acrobat Document
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941 folders in 39 boxes
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World Trade Organization (WTO) Remarks 5/18/98
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National Security Council
Speechwriting Office
Antony Blinken
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2006-0459-F
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Box 35
<a href="http://clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/2006/2006-0459-F.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/id/7585787" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
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Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
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9/17/2014
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42-t-7585787-20060459f-035-034-2014
7585787