The ASEAN Economic Ministers expressed the hope that the Mid-Term Review Meeting of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations in Montreal on 5 - 9 December 1988 will achieve progress in all areas of negotiations, especially in areas of particular interest to ASEAN such as Tropical Products, Agriculture, Dispute Settlement, Functioning of the GATT System, Tariffs, and Non-Tariff Measures. They agreed to coordinate ASEAN's efforts on issues in the Uruguay Round.

The ASEAN Economic Ministers reaffirmed the importance that ASEAN attaches to the issues of Tropical Products. Failure to achieve tangible and concrete results on Tropical Products at the Mid-Term Review Meeting would jeopardise the credibility of the Uruguay Round. They were concerned that at this stage the prospects for achieving such results are not encouraging. They therefore urged that in the remaining days before the Montreal Meeting those developed countries which have not made their specific offers should do so as soon as possible, and those that have made their offers should improve upon them. ASEAN remains committed to ensuring progress in the negotiations. It is willing to make appropriate contributions commensurate with what each member country can afford. The nature and extent of the contributions would have to be on the basis of individual member country's trade, financial and development needs. ASEAN believes that unilateral trade liberalisation measures taken by member countries should be given credit in the negotiations.

On Agriculture, a lack of credible result at the Montreal Meeting could have serious implications on the overall process of the Uruguay Round, and lead to further deterioration in the world agricultural trade situation. The Ministers reiterated that ASEAN should continue to work actively within the Cairns Group. They agreed that the Cairns Group's proposal will contribute to the resolution of the differences between the major trading partners, and that it will form a basis for a negotiating framework to be adopted at the Montreal Meeting and for future negotiations on the subject.