284. The Chairperson thanked the delegation of Hong Kong, China for its proposal and all delegations for their detailed comments. These comments showed that, while delegations might be closer to agreement on some aspects, they were still far apart on a number of critical issues, including legal effects, ways of settling differences and participation. There was a considerable amount of work to do in a relatively short period of time in order to complete the mandate by the Cancún Ministerial Conference in September. One more meeting of the Special Session was scheduled for 2-3 July before the Cancún Ministerial Conference. At that stage, delegations should have ideally completed their work and forwarded the results of their deliberations to the Trade Negotiation Committee for the Cancún Ministerial. However, the possibility that work would need to continue after the July meeting could not be ruled out. In any event, the Chairperson hoped that by the July meeting Members would be able to consider a text with a single set of ideas rather than a text with widely divergent proposals. With a view to being in a position to have such text by the July meeting, the Chairperson would continue to consult intensively with delegates in a variety of formats, having regard to the need to ensure transparency. As a first step he would hold an open-ended informal consultation with the idea of having an exchange of views on the main points of difference that had come to the fore more prominently at this meeting. He pointed out that consultations by themselves could hardly achieve progress if delegations remained entrenched in their current positions. He hoped to see a greater degree of flexibility and willingness to compromise from all sides in the coming weeks.
