6 April Geneva. In a green room meeting of some Ambassadors convened on Monday 3 April, Pascal Lamy informed the group that he will indeed convene a mini ministerial. He has told a small group of Ambassadors to let their Ministers know that they should be in Geneva by 29/30 April to 3/4 May. (Another Ambassador gave another set of dates - 27 April - 5 May). It will be a invitation only Ministerial of about 20-30 Ministers. Ministers from Africa are likely to include Kenya, Mauritius, Zambia, Benin, Senegal, Egypt, South Africa, possibly Nigeria. Agriculture and NAMA week is taking place starting 17 April. The Agriculture chair had warned the DG in the TNC of 28 March that he will not snatch the initiative from the Members and put his own text on the table. There is speculation that Lamy may put his own text on the table after the ag and nama week. He also intends to hold Green Room meetings DAILY in geneva of this group after NAMA and Ag week, starting around 22nd April. The Agenda for the mini ministerial: The DG said that there are 2 main issues in agriculture for Ministers to resolve: 1) level of market access tariff cuts, 2) No. of sensitive products. In NAMA, the two issues for Ministers are: 1) coefficients and 2)para 8 flexibilities (where there was again deadlock in Rio). He wants all other issues to be "stabilized" between now and the Mini ministerial. That would include in ag: thresholds for tariff cuts, treatment of sensitive products, SP treatment, SSM. In NAMA, it would include SVEs treatment, Para 6 countries (they are asking for binding at 50% instead of the 27.5% suggested in the July framework and they are also asking for 95% binding, rather than 100% of tariff lines to be bound). By "stabilize", i imagine this to mean not necessarily solving it, but at least placating the defenders and demandeurs of these issues sufficiently so that they do not rock to boat at the mini ministerial. Presumably this will also include threats and carrots to key countries. The problem of course is that if some of the other issues are not resolved at the same time as the main issues that are up for discussion in the mini ministerial, it means that developing countries will be short changed in July (eg. on SP /SSM if this is delayed until July). And if Lamy gets his way, and the key issues of tariff cuts and coefficients are in fact agreed to at the mini ministerial, the round will practically be over. There are growing complaints in Geneva that Pascal Lamy is "over-stretching" his role as the DG, as one Ambassador put it. Another delegate complained that he is now jumping into the act of being a negotiator. SOME SUGGESTIONS: 1) Ask your minister to come to Geneva during the mini ministerial even if he /she is not invited. We should find a way to convene an alternative ministerial to discuss alternative modalities. 2) Please bring civil society groups here to Geneva end APril/ early May. That would be preferable to mid May. It may all have ended by 5 May. The media will be here in full force of course when Ministers are in town and it will therefore be the time to stage actions, press conferences etc.