PHILIPPINE TRADE SECRETARY PLEASED WITH GATT TALKS

  Philippine Secretary of
  Trade and Industry Jose Concepcion, who two days ago expressed
  doubts about agreements produced at international conferences,
  said he was pleased with the latest gathering here.
      Concepcion told Reuters in an interview that the informal
  General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) meeting gave
  ministers from more than 20 nations the chance to examine
  issues with which GATT did not have the political will to deal.
      "Also, the role of the developing countries has been
  emphasised in this particular meeting. Somehow it has been the
  perception of developing countries that GATT is a club of rich
  countries," he added in an interview with Reuters.
      "In fact many of the issues that have been tabled for
  discussion (in the Uruguay round of trade negotiations) will be
  of more benefit to the developed countries," he said.
      Concepcion said at the start of the Taupo meeting that the
  Uruguay round was meant to be a "shining act of faith" in the
  world trade system.
      Concepcion said the Philippines would address the issues of
  trade in tropical fruit and the improvement of GATT machinery
  to make it more responsive.
      He said tropical fruit came from developing countries but
  faced non-tariff barriers, quantitative restrictions or very
  high duties in other nations. Concepcion named Japan and South
  Korea as examples.
      He said he would go to Wellington for talks with New
  Zealand, which had a surplus in trade with the Philippines, to
  encourage it to switch imports from other countries. He noted
  that New Zealand bought its bananas from Ecuador.
  

