In services, are the plurilateral discussions initiated in Hong Kong working out?
When plurilateral efforts began, the general confidence level was low, because the issues which countries needed to reach an agreement on were difficult. However, it was done. Then, people were thinking that maybe six or eight requests will come by the deadline of February 28. About 14 came. I think the number will soon grow to 20. Some countries looking for more commitments may come up with bilateral requests too. In the process of finalising the requests, people have tried to make sure that these are reasonable, yet substantive. This means that the process is rooted in reality, a good start for the negotiation.
