> SPEECH DELIVERED BY RICARDO CABRISAS, CUBAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN TRADE
> TO THE THIRD MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
>
> SEATTLE, WASHINGTON WEDNESDAY, 1 DECEMBER 1999
>
> Your excellency, distinguished delegates and guests,
>
> On the threshold of the 21st century and five years after the conclusion
> of the largest round of multilateral talks, the world economy is in the
> worst shape ever for underdeveloped countries. Obstacles to trade have
> increased, not only through tariffs but also other measures masked by
> environmental concerns. Free trade in agricultural products is a utopia
> as the high tariffs continue and subsidies granted by developed nations
> for production and export distort international commerce. The prices of
> basic goods have dropped to levels lower than those of the 1970's.
>
> Unemployment has increased and protecting of the rights of intellectual
> property prohibits poor countries from having access to advanced
> technology, which further contributes to the monopolization of that
> technology by industrialized powers. Culture is made to be bought and
> sold, the foreign debt skyrockets and special, preferential treatment in
> favor of the underdeveloped countries has been substituted by exchange
> between unequals.
>
> Unilateral and extraterritorial measures are increasing being used as a
> way to exert political pressure on other big and small countries. One of
> those measures, which has been rejected for eight consecutive years by
> an overwhelming majority of the members of the United Nations General
> Assembly, continues to be imposed on Cuba by the most powerful nation on
> the planet -- also affecting trade with other members of the World Trade
> Organization.
>
> What benefits has free trade brought to underdeveloped countries? How
> should we access the fulfillment of agreements?
>
> The answer is very clear. Revenues from exports have decreased, there is
> greater unequal exchange, development assistance has been reduced
> considerably, the foreign debt has increased, there is more poverty,
> diseases continue to spread, underdevelopment is growing. Free trade
> cannot be a goal in and of itself. It must be a process that not only
> contributes to the economic growth benefiting all countries in the world
> but also to the development of the Third World. It is indispensable to
> maintain and extend trade preferences to other sectors to benefit
> underdeveloped countries.
>
> Preferential treatment should be a fundamental principle and not an
> exception of the World Trade Organization. We must prioritize the
> fulfillment of agreements reached during talks held in Uruguay and
> guarantee better conditions. And it is absolutely necessary that poor
> countries have greater access to products and services.
>
> We represent four-fifths of the WTO's members. We produce goods and
> services with comparative advantages and now they want to take them away
> from us with the pretext of allegedly respecting labor laws. Unity and
> solidarity in the World Trade Organization are essential to demand the
> revision, rectification and reform of current policies governing
> international trade. Only in this way can we strengthen our bargaining
> position and increase our ability to resist.
>
> Preparations for this conference speak for themselves. Let's reject the
> marketing and sale of our cultural values by the big transnational
> corporations. Let's demand our place in today's world -- a world that
> needs our raw materials, our textiles, our natural resources, our
> services, our workforce, our culture, our intelligence and, primarily,
> our development.
>
> The world we live in is unequal and trade rules should take that into
> account. The equality between two countries with different levels of
> development is unjust and constitutes the most perverse way of
> perpetuating inequality. Competition between unequal countries must
> stop. The hegemonic race to take hold of markets at any price must stop.
> We demand respect for our commercial and trade policies, which do not
> differ from those used by industrialized countries on their way to
> development.
>
> Let's globalize cooperation and solidarity. The solution to the
> problems of development benefit both rich and poor nations. If we do not
> consider that, peace and stability will be seriously affected. There
> cannot possibly be peace without development or development without
> peace.