Comptes rendus ‒ Session extraordinaire du Conseil des ADPIC ‒ Afficher les détails de l'intervention /la déclaration

Ambassador Manzoor Ahmad (Pakistan)
Philippines
191. The representative of the Philippines said that the discussions at the meeting had been interesting and educative and that they had attracted, as Australia noted, more participation than usual. While his delegation recognized the importance of this issue for the European Communities, Switzerland and perhaps a few other delegations, as well as the right of the European Communities to present a proposal, which some Members would view as overly ambitious, he said that it should also be recognized that a good number of Members had raised legitimate concerns, leading them, including the Philippines, to express preference for the joint proposal. 192. As to the way forward, his delegation agreed with the Chair's concluding remarks that perhaps it would be too late if Members waited until the June 2006 formal meeting of the Special Session. It would therefore be necessary to intensify informal bilateral and plurilateral contacts, whether or not under the auspices of the Chair. He said that the Chair should convene an open-ended informal meeting between this meeting and the June formal meeting so as to ensure that the process of consultations would be transparent and inclusive, because at the end of the day any agreement would have to be adopted by all Members by consensus. It was clear from this meeting that the demandeurs and the proponents were not the only interested parties in these negotiations. There were many other delegations, such as the Philippines, who might not have been always active or vocal in the discussions, but had legitimate systemic concerns. He concluded by saying that the way forward proposed by the Chair was the best option and urged Members on both sides of the fence to truly intensify discussions and be open to the legitimate concerns that each side had raised over the course of many years of negotiations.
TN/IP/M/16