§ Mr. BurdenTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with participants in the Uruguay round of the GATT concerning the proposed creation of a multilateral trade organisation; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 11 January 1993]: The establishment of a multilateral trade organisation was proposed in the draft final act of the GATT Uruguay round, which was tabled in December 1991 by the GATT director general, Mr. Dunkel. It has been the subject of a great deal of discussion between participants in the Uruguay round, including the European Commission who negotiate on behalf of the European Community; the position taken by the Commission has been prepared in discussion with the member states. The MTO was intended to serve as a means of implementing the results of the round and of strengthening the international trading system; it would not in itself alter the rights and obligations under the various Uruguay round agreements. Recently, the United States Government have indicated that they have problems with the constitution of the MTO as proposed, which will require further discussion.