[Ip-health] Zoellick on Thai FTA and Access to Meds

[Mike Palmedo]

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0505/S00105.htm

Remarks With Thailand Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon

Robert Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Bangkok, Thailand
May 4, 2005


[snip]

QUESTION: Can I ask about FTA, because there are sentiments by Thailand
that this might be of disadvantage to the Thai public, especially on the
health issues and also on the intellectual property rights. How will the
U.S. go through this sticking point?

DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK: Well, first there is a certain irony in some
of the concerns I hear in Thailand, in that Thailand sells a lot more to
the United States than we sell to Thailand. We also have a very, very
strong investment relationship, so I think Thais can compete very well
with the United States. But it is natural in any of these negotiations
that there are anxieties. There are anxieties in the United States about
some of the competition from Thailand, so that's one reason why the
Minister and I talked about the importance of having broader discussions
with Parliaments and Congress. It's one reason why we are very pleased
that we are working with Thailand to have a special trade capacity
growing effort for small- and medium-sized enterprises. The Prime
Minister has made support for small and medium-sized enterprises part of
his domestic program. We need to link that in both countries to the
trade system. On the item that you mention about pharmaceuticals, in all
our free trade agreements, we make very clear that the agreement to
which the United States joins and, in fact, I helped put together
dealing with access to medicine dealing with HIV-AIDS, will not be
affected at all by any aspect of this agreement. And indeed, in our
other agreements we have side letters that are part of the agreement
that confirm that. So I understand the anxieties on that issue, but I
think there is a very, very good answer for them.

[snip]