approached vtith a genuine corulitmene to conpromise and provided that the trade interests of all parties are addressed, a new round of multilateral trade negotiat.ions could make a significant contribution in this regard. Apart from strengthening the authority of GATT in areas already under its jurisdiction, it coul-d facilitate the tran3ition of textiLe trade from the Multifibre Arrangernent to normal GA1T discipline and Ehe eradication of grey-area measures. ft eould also offer the opp,ortunicy Co bring cAtI! principles to bear on areas hitherto largely outside its domain' such as agricul-ture and, possibly, services. OuiLe apart fron: the ultinate achievenents of sucb an exercise, Ehe launching of lhe new round might in icself assist Goverrurents in resisting further protectionist encroachnen! by signalling a strong conmitmenl to trade liberalization. At the same tirne. even as preparations proceed for a new round there is a pressing need Eo act on the pledges for a standseill and roll-back of proteccionism.world or years tbeA/4O/597 English Page l8 B. Special neasures for the benefit of developing countries 59. While the speclal needs of developlng counEries would necessarily be addressed in tbe context of a new round of multllateral trade negotiations, action on other fronts to bolster lhe export earninqs of these countries is also urgently ne€ded. one area is the ceneralized system of Preferences (GsP). At ita April 1985 session, the IJNCTAD Special Comrnittee on Preferences noted with satisfaction that all csP schemes had been reneeed and that sone inprovenents had been nade in then. At the same time' it urged prefe rence-g iv lng countriea to further inprove their schernes by paying attention to product.s not adesuaCely covered by existing schenes in boch the agricultural and industrial sectors, and it urged tben to further liberalize rules of origin, nhile reaffirming the generalized, non-discr ininatory
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the topic of international trade, specifically the potential benefits and challenges of a new round of multilateral trade negotiations. The text mentions the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the need to address the trade interests of all parties, which suggests that the focus is on international trade agreements and their impact on global commerce.

**Category**
International trade