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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release December 1, 1999

PRESIDENT CLINTON PRESENTS U.S. AGENDA FOR A NEW TRADE ROUND TO TRADE MINISTERS - CALLS FOR EFFORTS TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN BENEFITS OF

                             EXPANDED TRADE
                            December 1, 1999

This afternoon, President Clinton addresses World Trade Organization (WTO) trade ministers at a luncheon hosted by Charlene Barshefsky, U.S. Trade Representative, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle. The President will be joined by other members of his Cabinet and by WTO Director General Michael Moore at the luncheon. In his speech, the President will discuss his vision for a 21st century trading system -- one that is robust and responsive to rapid changes in technology, addresses the concerns of the poorest countries, and puts a human face on the global economy. Working with the other nations of the WTO, the President wants the Seattle Round to focus on expanding prosperity and improving the quality of life and work here at home and around the globe. This Round should ensure that the global trading system honors our values and meets our goals for the 21st Century.

THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED TWO NEW SIGNIFICANT INITIATIVES IN HIS SPEECH:

  1. BETTER INTEGRATING POOR COUNTRIES INTO THE GLOBAL TRADING SYSTEM. The initiative that the President is promoting, along with European Union, Japan and Canada, would provide enhanced market access for the poorest countries. It will also revitalize and expand the technical cooperation and capacity building programs so that the poorest countries can effectively participate in the WTO and enjoy the benefits of the trading system. But to fully integrate poor countries into the global trading system, we must also help them develop the capacity to meet WTO requirements. The WTO will work in concert with other international organizations to revitalize their technical cooperation efforts in concert with recipients of such assistance. The United States worked in partnership with Bangladesh, Lesotho, Nigeria, Senegal and Zambia on the technical cooperation element.
  2. A NEW APPROACH TO HELP POOR COUNTRIES GAIN ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE MEDICINES. The President today announced that the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the Department of Health and Human Services will develop a cooperative approach on health-related intellectual property matters consistent with our goal of helping poor countries gain access to affordable medicines. Through this approach, we will ensure the application of U.S. trade law related to intellectual property, such as Special 301, remains sufficiently flexible to respond to legitimate public health crises.

THE PRESIDENT UNDERSCORED THE NEED TO PUT A "HUMAN FACE" ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMY:

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