387. With your permission, Chair, I do not have much to say but I think I am going to give the Secretariat and interpreters a hard time because I rarely read from a script, and I have noticed that all delegates and also representatives from other organizations read from scripts. Maybe next time we can do it a little bit more lively.
388. It is my great pleasure to be entrusted by WTO Members to chair this important issue. For me, I am afraid this was not my first choice because I know how difficult it is, but I took up the challenge. People are saying – this is a great issue, but it is very difficult, very challenging. Maybe the experience of wanting to be challenged arose in me, and so I said ok, I will do it. But I think for me personally, intellectual property is a very important area for LDCs, for developing countries, and for developed countries alike. I think this is an issue on which WTO Members must work very hard together to achieve something because this is an issue of the future, and I am very humbled that I will be serving Members. So, I cannot say that as a Chair my doors will be open – because I do not have an office in the building – but I am available to everyone, to all Members. You can reach out to me, do not wait for me to reach out to you, as I am here to serve Members.
389. My last word will be of course to sincerely thank Ambassador Gberie for his contribution as the Chair. I am not sure everyone has been participating in the run-up to MC12, but I can say that Ambassador Lansana Gberie had a very difficult job, but he did his work greatly and admirably, so I hope I am speaking on behalf of all WTO Members and not only from my delegation that we are very thankful for your contribution and your active and very dedicated role that you have played before MC12, as well as since then. And thanks to the Secretariat as well. I wish you will have good time, have a good rest and, of course, we will see you around.
