NEWS RELEASES

July 3, 2001 (1:10 p.m. EDT) No. 94

MINISTER PETTIGREW ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF

DRAFT FTAA NEGOTIATING TEXT

International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew announced that the draft negotiating text for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was released by the FTAA Secretariat today.

"Canada was instrumental in getting agreement from all the FTAA countries to release the draft negotiating text, which I know many people are deeply interested in seeing. This represents a radical step toward greater transparency in trade negotiations," said Minister Pettigrew. "It took longer to come out than anticipated, but the simple fact is that the text could not be released until it was available in all four official languages of the FTAA: English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. This is one of the basic principles of the FTAA process and reflects the approach agreed to by ministers in Buenos Aires."

The text is a preliminary compilation of ideas, proposals and negotiating positions from the 34 countries taking part in the FTAA negotiations. Most of the material is in square brackets, meaning there is no consensus on its elements. The FTAA negotiations will be completed by no later than January 2005, and the agreement will be implemented by no later than December 2005.

The FTAA negotiations will create the world's largest free trade area, with 800 million people and a combined gross domestic product of nearly $17 trillion. The FTAA will create the conditions for growth that will make possible closer, more dynamic relations across the hemisphere, and contribute to the broader Summit of the Americas objectives, such as creating prosperity and raising living standards for all.

The FTAA draft negotiating text can be found on the Web site of the FTAA Secretariat at http://www.alca-ftaa.org/. The draft text may also be accessed through the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Web site http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/tna-nac/ftaa1-e.asp. This site also contains a description of the chapters of the draft text, Canada's position, Canada's proposals and a series of frequently asked questions.

In addition to the above on-line resources, the Government of Canada has created a toll-free number, 1-800-826-5715, for Canadian citizens who wish to receive information on the release of the draft FTAA negotiating text.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Sébastien Théberge

Office of the Minister for International Trade

(613) 992-7332

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874