Mini-Ministerial not legitimate, says NGO letter to Ministers

A group of over 100 civil society organizations has denounced the mini-Ministerial meeting to be held in Geneva in the next days as not legitimate as it does not allow for the effective participation of all Ministers.

The NGOs have asked the Trade Ministers at the WTO to object to the legitimacy of the Mini-Ministerial, and also to reject any attempt by the WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy to draft his own text. The NGOs also made a call to "bury the Doha Agenda" and start with a new approach to the multilateral trading system.

The NGOs have sent a letter stating this to Trade Ministers gathering here in Geneva to discuss modalities for agriculture and non-agriculture market access (NAMA). Copies were also sent to Lamy and the Chairs of the agriculture and NAMA negotiations.

Among the signatories to the letter are Action Aid International; Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN); ATTAC; Berne Declaration; Center of Concern/US; Gender and Trade Network; Focus on the Global South; Friends of the Earth International; Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy; Institute for Global Justice; Public Services International; SEATINI; and the World Development Movement.

The letter made the following three basic demands:

''1. Object to the legitimacy of the June mini-Ministerial and withdraw support. As a basic rule of democracy, and out of respect for the WTO's procedures and mandate, any Ministerial called by the WTO Secretariat must allow for the effective participation of all Ministers.

2. Reject any attempt by Director-General, Pascal Lamy to draft his own text for Ministers' consideration.

3. Start now with a new approach to the multilateral trading system. The Doha Agenda should be buried. New rules should focus on policies that promote human