00:00I think that whatever the case may be, trying to fashion your agreements based on the principles of MFN,
00:12and as I said before, regional agreements, most of them that we know, are usually formulated along these lines.
00:19I think it's totally valid, and I think it is the best way to try to do that, to build
00:24it on a WTO platform.
00:26Because you find that most other of your neighbors, or those with whom you're making these agreements,
00:35you know, most of them would like to pursue the agreements, also as much along MFN principles as possible.
00:44So you should do that.
00:47Where you now have deviations, it becomes a problem.
00:53And if that is the case, the WTO provides a, of course, not for a regional agreement.
00:59Within regional agreements, you have your own dispute settlement mechanisms that are inbuilt.
01:04And so if you have a deviation within that agreement, they should take it to the dispute settlement that they've
01:13agreed upon, the dispute settlement mechanism.
01:15Okay, but my principal thought is that, yes, the reason we encourage members strongly to try to build their regional
01:26agreements and their FTAs along the platform of WTO is because it becomes easier in the end to make a
01:34bargain with each other that does not hurt third parties.
01:38They are still members of the WTO as well as members of the regional agreement.
01:43Thank you.
01:44Thank you.
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