Minister Haddad Heads Official Delegation to Geneva for WTO Accession Negotiations
Minister of Economy and Trade Sami Haddad lead Lebanon’s official delegation to Geneva to continue negotiations concerning Lebanon’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), during which time the fourth round of Working Party meetings was held last Thursday and Friday. The Delegation consisted of representatives from Lebanon’s Ministries of Finance, Industry, and Agriculture, Higher Council of Customs, Banque du Liban, private sector, and Ministry of Economy and Trade’s (MoET) WTO Unit. Lebanon Ambassador Gebran Soufan also took part in the delegation, as he serves as Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other Geneva-based international organisations.
Ambassador Laurence Dubois-Destrizais chaired the meetings which were attended by a large number of WTO members, and dealt with issues concerning Lebanon’s trade regime and its performance in implementing WTO-related agreements. The meetings began by welcoming words from WTO members, many of whom expressed their support to the Lebanese people as well as condolences for the loss of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Minister of Parliament Bassel Flueihan, and the number of other innocent lives that died at the same time.
The participating members underscored Lebanon’s significant progress in the preceding year, and, in particular, the active fulfilment of technical requirements for accession, despite the difficult situation through which the country was passing. Strong support was expressed for Lebanon’s joining of the 150-member organisation in the earliest time possible, so that the country may effectively regain its natural position in the global economic and trade arena as one of the most open and liberal countries.
In response, Minister Haddad expressed gratitude to the participating member states for their support and assured them that WTO membership is amongst the economic priorities of the Government of Lebanon. As such, there is ongoing work to usher in required economic and legislative reforms to complete the accession process. Along these lines the Minister announced the drafting of six new trade-related laws to address, import licensing, anti-dumping, domestic support and protection, food safety, technical standards, and plant and animal quarantine, all of which are under consideration in parliamentary committees. At the meetings’ conclusion, Ambassador Dubois-Destrizais congratulated Lebanon on its achievements in the membership process and announced that Lebanon may now move to the penultimate phase for which a draft final Working Party report will be drafted and submitted. Her Excellency stressed the importance of quickening the promulgation of the draft legislations currently in parliamentary committee as any delays will be reflected negatively in the course of the negotiations and overall accession process.