RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/M/72
6 February 2002
(02-0590)
General Council19 – 20 December 2001
MINUTES OF MEETING
Held in the Centre William Rappard
on 19 – 20 December 2001
Chairman:  Mr. Stuart Harbinson (Hong Kong, China)
Subjects discussed: Page
1. Accession of Iran – Communication from Iran .....................................................................2
2. Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration – Report of the Committee ..............23. WTO Pension Plan............................................................................................................. .......7
(a) Annual Report of the Mana gement Board for 2000 ..................................................................7
(b) Agreement on the transfer of pension rights of participants in the WTO Pension Plan
and in the Pension Scheme of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development ................................................................................................................... ...........8
4. Waivers under Article IX of the WTO Agreement................................................................9
(a) Dominican Republic – Minimum values under the Customs Valuation Agreement –
Request for waiver ............................................................................................................ .........9
(b) Haiti – Customs Valuation Agr eement – Request for waiv er ....................................................9
(c) Cuba – Article XV:6 of the GATT 1994 – Request for extension of waiver ..........................10
(d) Colombia –  Article 5.2 of the Agreement on Trade-Related  Investment Measures –
Request for waiver ............................................................................................................ .......10
(e) Review of Waivers Pursuant to Ar ticle IX:4 of the WTO Agreement .....................................10
(i) EC – Autonomous preferential treatment to the countries of the Western Balkans,
granted on 8 December 2000 until 31 Decem ber 2006 ...........................................................10
(ii) Turkey – Preferential treatment for Bosnia-Herzegovina, granted on 8 December
2000 until 31 December 2006 ..................................................................................................1 0
5. Major Review of the Implementation of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing
(ATC) During the Second Stage of the Integration Process Pursuant to Article
8.11 of the ATC ................................................................................................................ .......11
(a) Statement by the Chairman of  the Council for Trade in Goods................................................11
(b) Composition of the Textil es Monitoring Body ........................................................................12
6. Detailed terms of reference for the inter-agency panel on financing normal levels
of commercial imports of basic foodstuffs within the framework of the
Marrakesh Decision on Net Food-Importing Developing Countries ................................13WT/GC/M/72
Page 2
7. Review of procedures for circulation and derestriction of WTO documents –
Draft Decision ................................................................................................................ .........13
8. Work programme on harmonizing rules of origin – Report by the Chairman of
the Committee on Ru les of Or igin.........................................................................................16
9. Reports of the Special Sessions of the Committee on Agriculture and of the
Council for Trade in  Services ...............................................................................................20
10. Follow-Up to the Fourth Sessio n of the Minister ial Conf erence.........................................20
11. Work Programme on Electronic Commerce........................................................................30
12. Venue of the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference – Communication from
Mexico ........................................................................................................................ .............30
13. Review of the exemption provided under Paragraph 3 of the GATT 1994.......................31
1. Accession of Iran – Communication from Iran (WT/ACC/IRN/1)
1. The Chairman drew attention to the communi cation from Iran in WT/ACC/IRN/1 requesting
accession to the WTO Agreement.  He recalled that this item had been on the agenda of the General
Council meeting on 31 October-1 November 2001 at the request of Malaysia on behalf of the
Informal Group of Developing Countries, and that the General Council had agreed to revert to it at thepresent meeting.
2. The representative of the United States expressed her Government's appreciation for
Members' patience, as it continued its comprehensive policy review with respect to Iran.  While her
delegation was not in a position to consider Iran's request at the present meeting, it expected to be able
to make a determination on the merits of the issue in the near future.
3. The representative of Malaysia, on behalf of the Informal Group of Developing Countries ,
regretted that the United States was not able to provide a positive response to this request at the
present meeting.  This item had been on the General Council's agenda since early 2001, and these
countries hoped that the United States would complete its review soon and be able to agree to the
establishment of a working party on the accession of Iran at the next meeting of the General Council.
4. The General Council took note of the statements and agreed  to revert to this item at its next
meeting.
2. Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration – Report of the Committee
(WT/BFA/56)
5. The Chairman drew attention to the report of the Committee on Budget, Finance and
Administration in WT/BFA/56.
6. Mr. Supperamaniam (Malaysia), Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Finance and
Administration, introducing the Committee's report on its meetings on 18 October, 23 and
29 November, and 4, 6, 10, 14 and 18 December 2001, said that the Committee had examined, inter
alia, various administrative updates and progress reports; reports pertaining to financial matters;
budget estimates for 2002; the report of the working group on the selection of external auditor; the
assessment of the contributions to the 2001 budget and advance to the Working Capital Fund on the
People’s Republic of China; and a communication from the Permanent Mission of Switzerland
relative to a future building for the WTO.WT/GC/M/72
Page 3
7. With regard to the Director-General’s budgetary and financial report on the 2000 accounts of
the WTO and Report of the External Auditor thereon, the Committee had made recommendations in
paragraphs 9 and 10 of the report.  As to the assessment of contributions to the 2001 budget and
advances to the Working Capital Fund on the People’s Republic of China, the Committee had made a
recommendation in paragraph 59.  In the context of the examination of the 2002 budget estimates, theCommittee had heard a presentation from the Secretariat on the WTO's Performance Against Budget
Report as at 30 September 2001.  At the time of the report, it had been projected that there would be a
budgetary overexpenditure of some Sw F 496,000 with regard to the WTO while in the case of the
Appellate Body Secretariat, savi ngs of some Sw F 85,000 had been forecast.  Also in connection with
the 2002 budget estimates, the Committee had extensiv ely discussed the Director-General's proposal
to create a Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.  This Fund, created in fulfilment of
Ministers' directive to the Committee in paragraph 40 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, wouldprovide secure and predictable financing for a comprehensive programme of technical assistance and
capacity-building activities, focused on implementin g decisions taken by Ministers at the Fourth
Ministerial Conference.  Following a detailed examination of the proposal and its further elaboration,
the Committee had made a recommendation with respect to the Global Trust Fund (paragraph 19 of
the report).  As to the proposals relative to the 2002 budget of the WTO, the Committee had examinedin detail the 2002 budget estimate supplemental submission from the Director-General forwarded to
the Committee subsequent to the Ministerial Conference in Doha.  After long and detailed
deliberations, the Committee had agreed to recommend a 2002 budget of Sw F 143,129,850 which
included a contribution of Sw F 15,113,850 for the ITC (paragraphs 39 and 48).
8. The Committee had also made recommendations to the General Council in connection with
the utilization of the credit balance of Sw F 3,400,497 in the 2000 Surplus Account.  One million
Swiss francs of the Surplus Account would be devoted to the establishment of the new buffer account
associated with the operation of the Global Trust Fund (paragraph 22).  The Committee had taken
note of the report of the Working Group on the Selection of the External Auditor and recommended
the appointment of the Austrian Court of Audit for a period of five years, commencing with the audit
of the 2002 accounts (paragraph 56).  The Committee had also considered a communication from
Switzerland relating to the provision of an addi tional WTO building facility and had forwarded a
recommendation to this effect (paragraph 65).  In closing, he drew attention to the sense of
responsibility all Members had demonstrated in reaching a consensus on the various
recommendations contained in the report.  It was clear that all had had to show flexibility and a
willingness to compromise, without which it would have been very difficult to forward a set of
consensus recommendations to the General Council.
9. All representatives who spoke expressed appreciation to the Chairman of the Committee for
his hard work in promoting consensus in the Committee on the 2002 budget.
10. The representative of Pakistan said he wished to  make three points.  First, all activities that
were conducted through the regular budget had to be approved by Members.  Activities such as the
one proposed for an NGO symposium or other activities involving non-Members of the WTO couldnot be funded from the regular budget.  Second, the WTO should provide more technical assistance
and capacity building for developing and least-developed countries.  The Doha Declaration had also
supported this objective.  The WTO regular budget provided inadequate funds for this purpose, and
the creation of the Global Trust Fund was thus welcomed, as it would substantially enhance the
availability of funds for technical assistance and technical cooperation.  The amount indicated for theFund was insufficient, however, and should be increased by 100 per cent.  Third, a comprehensive
review and restructuring of the WTO Secretariat should be undertaken in consultation with Members,
so that the Secretariat would achieve functional efficiency and reflect the broadest possible WTO
membership, which was now composed of a large majority of developing countries.  That majority
was presently poorly represented in the Secretariat.  Pakistan therefore looked forward to thecomprehensive review of the Secretariat called for under paragraph 30 of the Committee's report.  Its
position on future budgets would be dependent on the progress made on this issue.WT/GC/M/72
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11. The representative of Japan welcomed the proposal to establish the new Trust Fund.  It was
essential at this stage to ensure stable funding over a long period if the fund was to function in a
meaningful manner.  In this regard and in view of the fact that the Doha Ministerial Declaration was a
collective decision, every Member should share responsibility for contributions to the Fund.
Technical assistance activities should be truly responsive to the needs of recipient countries, andMembers should do their best to ensure flexibility in the use of the Fund.  Japan had no objection to
delegations making extra contributions to the Fund.  However, it was not in a position to agree to do
so, at least for 2002, because:  it did not have the budgetary resources;  Members had not discussed in
detail the Secretariat's annual plan of technical assistance activities for 2002;  and it wished to see
how the amount of Sw F 15 million would be used, be fore considering raising the target figure.  In
delivering trade-related technical assistance, coordination and coherence between the WTO and
relevant international organizations, and between the WTO and bilateral donors, were all-important.Given that the WTO worked to promote trade through furthering liberalization and setting rules, it had
a natural scope of activity in the field of technical assistance.  The WTO Secretariat should be urged
to make the most of its scarce resources by defining more accurately the scope and nature of WTO
technical assistance.  Japan supported the proposed regular budget, which contained a number of
important initiatives related to the Doha Declaration.  Regarding the redeployment of existingpersonnel resources in the Secretariat, which w ould hopefully contribute to improving the efficiency
of its services, the Budget Committee should discuss id eas that could be drawn from the report of the
external consultant on staffing resources.  The result of these discussions should be reflected in the
Secretariat's staffing needs for the next round of budget considerations.  With regard to the review of
the organization of the WTO Secretariat, the review of the current recruitment policy should becarefully conducted, bearing in mind the need to maintain the integrity, efficiency and good-
functioning of the Secretariat.
12. The representative of Canada said that his delegation disagreed with Pakistan that the NGO
symposium was not an activity that should be funded by the regular budget.  First, such an activity
was an entirely legitimate on-budget item for the General Council to consider and approve.  Second,that activity would be consistent with the mandate of the Doha Agenda to improve dialogue with and
outreach to the public.  Canada remained concerned that by agreeing to fund the NGO Symposium
from the Global Trust Fund, Members were taking away from the central purpose and mandate of that
Fund, which was to provide improved trade-related technical assistance to developing and least-
developed Members.  While trying to help developing countries through the Global Trust Fund,
Members were taking from that Fund to finance the NGO symposium.  Canada was prepared to live
with the compromise solution that the Budget Committee Chairman had brokered, but believed thatthis type of second-best solution should be avoided in future.
13. The representative of Brazil said that the increase in resources for technical cooperation
should aim at assisting developing countries to enhance their capacity to further integrate into the
multilateral trading system.  That increase, along with the establishment of the Global Trust Fund,
provided a new basis for financing technical cooperation activities, in accordance with the terms ofthe mandate agreed by Ministers at Doha.  With regard to the Budget Committee's commitment to
review the recruitment policy as set out in paragr aph 30 of its report, without departing from the
present emphasis on merit and individual profession al competence, one could achieve superior overall
performance and promote the highest standards of efficiency by striving for a more balanced and
equitable geographic representation in WTO staffing policies.  Far from affecting the goodfunctioning of the organization or the quality of the services provided, such an approach would
improve efficiency by promoting better dialogue and more fruitful interaction between the Secretariat
and Members.
14. The representative of the European Communities said that the Community was pleased that a
consensus had been reached on the creation of the Global Trust Fund.  Members had proved that they
could move forward quickly on improved technical assistance and capacity building, which was a
cornerstone of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  As indicated in the Budget Committee's report,WT/GC/M/72
Page 5
some Members were of the view that the target figure of Sw F 15 million for 2002 was too modest.
The Community would also have liked to have seen a figure considerably higher than that.  However,
this figure did not constitute a ceiling, and the pl edging conference to be held early in 2002 would
allow Members to revisit this issue.
15. The representative of Pakistan said that in relation to the NGO symposium issue, paragraph
10 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration did not speak of NGO activities, but rather of relations with
the public.  Promoting relations with the publi c and with NGOs was the respon sibility of each
Member and not of the WTO, and it was therefore not an activity that should be financed from the
WTO's regular budget.  Previous NGO seminars had not been financed from the regular budget and
should not be so in the future.  Therefore, Pakistan had agreed with the compromise solution offered.
With respect to the fact that some funding would be  taken away from the developing countries and the
Global Trust Fund, he hoped that Canada would consider making a voluntary contribution to fund theNGO symposium.
16. The representative of the United States said that her Government was pleased to accept the
budget as presented, because it met the commitments and the priorities established in Doha, prepared
Members for the negotiations that were ahead of them, and represented a balanced package.  In terms
of the Trust Fund, the amount agreed to in the Budget Committee was a figure that had been proposedby the Secretariat based on the best assessment of what could and should be accomplished in 2002.  It
was worth noting that this figure was a doubling of 2001 trust fund expenditures for technical
cooperation.  Reaching the amount of Sw F 15 million was a challenge.  However, the United States
was confident that this challenge would be me t, and encouraged all Members to contribute
generously.  As to the funding of the NGO symposium, the United States shared Canada'sdisappointment that Members had been unable to re ach agreement to include that funding within the
budget, because the key reason for that funding was to ensure that NGOs from developing countries
could participate in the symposium.  The United States hoped that in the following year's budget
discussion Members would examine this issue again.
17. The representative of India welcomed the 2002 budget which he said broadly reflected
Members' priorities, and expressed appreciation for the Secretariat paper on WTO personnel policy
and for the report of the external consultant on the structure and staffing resources of the WTO.  India
looked forward to a detailed discussion on thes e two contributions in early 2002.  Like previous
speakers, India believed that there would be a need to substantially increase the funding for technical
assistance and capacity building decided at Doha.  India hoped that in future the WTO Secretariat
could take up this activity in a far more focussed and effective manner, so that the decision in the
Doha Ministerial Declaration could be fully implemented.  The restructuring of the Secretariat shouldbe part of an overall review of its structure and functioning.
18. The representative of Canada recalled that Canada had made a voluntary contribution to fund
the 2000 NGO symposium, and invited Pakistan to also make a contribution to the Global Trust Fund
at the upcoming pledging conference.
19. The representative of China said that his Government had no objection to the utilization of
voluntary contributions or other extra budgetary-resources for NGO activities.  However, it would be
inappropriate to use the WTO regular budget to finance NGO activities, even if they were related to
WTO activities.  The regular budget should finance only the activities of the Secretariat, of WTO
bodies, and of technical cooperation and capacity building.  Regarding the composition and
recruitment of Secretariat staff, more staff from developing-country Members should be recruited, inorder to allow them to contribute to the development dimension of the organization as well as to bring
their wisdom to the work of the Secretariat.  It went without saying that merit and qualifications were
also important elements to be taken into consideration in the recruitment process.
20. The representative of Norway welcomed the budget increase of about 4.3 per cent and the
creation of eight new posts for the trade policy training courses.  With the comprehensive negotiationsWT/GC/M/72
Page 6
ahead, Norway trusted that these additions would be sufficient in order to meet the increasing needs.
Norway's view had always been that technical assistance should be financed from the regular budget.
Since that was not possible, his delegation agreed that the creation of a Global Trust Fund would
provide hope of more predictability in technical assistance.  The moment of truth would come at the
time of the pledging conference.  Since 1995, 30 per cent of the funds for technical assistance hadbeen provided by two countries.  That situation could not be sustained in future.  Regarding the
financing of an NGO symposium, the solution that had been found was not satisfactory.  Like Canada,
Norway had provided extra funds for NGO activities in previous years, and would have seen it as
quite natural that this be financed from the regular budget.  The solution which had been found should
not be permanent, as the funds used for such activities had been taken from the fund allocated to
technical assistance.
21. The representative of Switzerland said that as one of the major contributors to the technical
assistance fund, as well as a contributor to some special funds, his delegation fully agreed with those
who had asked for a substantial increase of resources in this field.  This would go in the direction of
the Doha mandate.  In addition to increasing resources, two major elements should be taken into
account.  First, in order to spend these resources in a meaningful way, the capacity to provide
technical assistance should be increased and an additional programme complementing the existingprogramme should be developed.  These additional measures should be taken in order to fulfil the
purposes of this exercise.  There was a clear mandate from Ministers in Doha to develop relations
with civil society.  This was part of the general outreach exercise of the WTO, which all Members had
a strong interest in reinforcing.  Regarding fu ture recruitment, he expressed his delegation's
satisfaction with the work of the WTO Secretariat in 2001, and recognition of its outstandingperformance during the Doha Ministerial Conference.  This had certainly been the result of the
recruitment policy adopted thus far, which favoured the quality of candidates.  Quality could be found
in people from all over the world and should remain a basic criteria of the recruitment policy.
22. The representative of the Philippines expressed his delegation's hope that the report on the
comprehensive review of the WTO Secretariat by the Director-General would come in due time.  On
the basis of that report, together with other elemen ts, including the report by the external consultant
and the recent staff moves, Members should be able to look comprehensively at this matter within the
framework of the demand, especially from developing countries in relation to the Doha Development
Agenda.  Regarding the financing of an NGO symposium, the list of NGOs invited to participate
should be carefully considered.  His delegation was concerned that two donor countries had
contributed 30 per cent of the fund for technical assistance.  During the discussion at the Doha
Ministerial, wide support had been expressed for getting a large amount for technical assistance andcapacity building.  Members should now put that support for technical assistance into effect, as it was
only through this process that the Doha Development Agenda would be given real effect in the new
work programme of the WTO.
23. The representative of Tanzania said his delegation believed that NGO activities should not be
funded from the regular budget.  Regarding the Global Trust Fund established to ensure proper
implementation of the Doha work progamme, especia lly with regard to the developing countries, and
in particular the LDCs, Tanzania hoped that the pledging conference would facilitate the raising of
more funds for technical assistance and capacity building, so that LDCs could become viable
participants in the global economy.  On the review  of the Secretariat, he shared the frustration
expressed by some delegations with regard to the representation of developing countries in theSecretariat.  This was not a negative remark, but an historical fact.  At present, a large number of
Members were developing countries.  It was therefore only fair to expect the Secretariat to reflect that
general composition of the membership.  He paid tribute to the former Director-General,
Mr. Ruggiero, who had taken steps to restructure the Secretariat staffing to reflect the WTO
membership.  The current Director-General had taken additional steps, but this was not enough.  Inrestructuring the Secretariat so as to include more staff from developing countries, the quality of the
staff would not be diluted, as the quality of performance was not the monopoly of a particular region.WT/GC/M/72
Page 7
Tanzania recognized the competence of the Secretar iat, but believed that politically it would be more
acceptable if its composition reflected the membership.
24. The representative of the United Kingdom, speaking also on behalf of Belgium, Denmark,
Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden,
Finland and Portugal, said that regarding the budgetary treatment of the NGO symposium in 2002,
paragraph 10 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration committed the WTO membership to improving
dialogue with the public.  Therefore, these delegations regretted that at a late stage in the approval of
the budget, the inclusion of funding for the NGO symposium had been opposed by some delegations.
The failure to include this in the 2002 budget would not help to assure the promotion of better public
understanding and support of the WTO's activities.  These delegations hoped to revert to the issue of
inclusion of funding for the NGO symposium in the 2003 budget.
25. The representative of India said that his delegation did not agree with the view that
paragraph 10 of the Doha Declaration gave a complete mandate to undertake all such activities under
the regular budget of the WTO.  Paragraph 10 only expressed the commitment of Ministers to make
the WTO's operations more transparent, including through more effective and prompt dissemination
of information, and to improve dialogue with the public.  As stated by Pakistan, this was essentially
an activity to be undertaken by Members themselves.
26. The General Council took note of the statements, approved  the Budget Committee's specific
recommendations in paragraphs 9, 10, 19, 22, 39, 48, 56, 59 and 65 of its report in WT/BFA/56, and
adopted the report.
3. WTO Pension Plan
(a) Annual Report of the Management Bo ard for 2000 (WT/GC/W/463 and Corr.1)
27. The Chairman said that the Annual Report of the Management Board of the WTO Pension
Plan for 2000 in WT/GC//W/463 and Corr. 1 had been submitted to the General Council in
accordance with Article 5(d) of the Regulations of the Pension Plan1.
28. Mr. Lee (Korea), Chairman of the WTO Pension Plan Management Board, introducing the
Annual Report of the Management Board for 2000, said that this WTO Pension Plan report covered a
period during which much of the work on the establishment of the Pension Plan had been completed.
In April 2000, the implementation of the investment strategy had been completed with the launching
of two active mandates to complement the passive mandates awarded in August 1999.  The assets of
the Plan had thus been fully invested, with appr oximately 68 per cent in equities and 32 per cent in
bonds, and with approximately 42 per cent in active mandates and 58 per cent in passive mandates.
At the end of 2000, the market value of the assets had stood at approximately Sw F 186 million.  Over
the year 2000, a real rate of return on investment of 3.23 per cent had been achieved, compared withthe long-term target of 3.5 per cent.  The Management Board had also completed its work on the
selection of a consulting actuary for the Pension Plan.  A competitive bidding process had been
carried out and a locally-based actuary employed by William Mercer S.A. selected.  Also, in
December 2000, a transfer agreement had been concluded with the United Nations Joint Staff Pension
Fund.  The purpose of such agreements was to allow participants to transfer their accumulated rights
from one plan to another.  As such, they formed an  important part of the framework to facilitate the
inter-organizational exchange of staff.  A fu rther such agreement, with the OECD, would be
considered by the General Council under the following sub-item.
29. The Management Board had continued its work in 2000 on the elaboration of a set of rules of
procedure to govern its deliberations.  These rules had been submitted to the General Council for
                                                     
1 WT/L/282.WT/GC/M/72
Page 8
approval in May 2001.2  A competitive tendering exercise for the outsourcing of the specialist support
services of the Plan had been completed in 2000, and a locally-based firm, Trianon, had been selected.
Trianon would be taking charge of a wide range of administrative and accounting services for the
Plan, and it was expected that the necessary preparatory work would be completed early in 2002.  The
Management Board had also devoted considerable attention to the establishment of an investmentcommittee to oversee the investment strategy and to monitor the compliance of the fund managers
with that strategy.  The Board had completed its consideration of the terms of reference and structure
of the investment committee and was now undertaking a search for suitable candidates.  A
communication would be issued shortly seeking Members' assistance in the identification of
investment experts to serve on the committee, which would be a subsidiary organ of the Board.
Finally, the external auditors had examined the accounts of the Pension Plan for 2000, and had duly
certified that they presented fairly the financial position of the Pension Plan at 31 December 2000.
30. The General Council took note of the statement and of the Annual Report of the Management
Board for 2000 in WT/GC/W/463 and Corr.1.
(b) Agreement on the transfer of pension rights of participants in the WTO Pension Plan and in
the Pension Scheme of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(WT/GC/W/462)
31. The Chairman recalled that Article 10 of the Regulations of the WTO Pension Plan3 provided
for the conclusion of transfer agreements with Member governments and intergovernmental
organizations in order to secure the continuity of pension rights for participants in the Pension Plan.
A transfer agreement had been drawn up by the Management Board of th e WTO Pension Plan with
the Pension Scheme of the Organization of Ec onomic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and
was submitted in document WT/GC/W/462 for the concurrence of the General Council.
32. Mr. Lee (Korea), Chairman of the WTO Pens ion Plan Management Board, said that the
transfer agreement in WT/GC/W/462 was the second such agreement to be concluded on behalf of the
Pension Plan, following on the agreement signed in 2000 with the United Nations Joint Staff Pension
Fund.  This agreement would enable staff wishin g to transfer between the OECD and the WTO to
carry their accrued pension rights with them.  The agreement had been examined and approved by the
consulting actuary.
33. The representative of India praised the Management Board for having achieved a return of
3.23 per cent when interest rates and returns all over the world were falling.  With regard to the
transfer agreement with the OECD, his delegation needed some time to consider the implications of
that agreement in consultation with his capital.  He sought clarification from the Chairman of the
Management Board on the following issues:  (i) the financial impact of Article 2.2(a) of the agreementas to the participant's right to be eligible for the higher of the two figures resulting from the respective
Pension Plan calculations;  and (ii) the number of  people who had moved between the OECD and the
WTO over the past three years.
34. The Chairman of the Management Board, responding to India's requests for clarification, said
that the purpose of such an agreement was to ensure the continuity of pension rights of participants in
the WTO Pension Plan and to enhance the mobility and exchange of staff.  The OECD was an
organization with which the WTO had much in common in terms of staff skills and profiles, and a
number of staff movements between the two organizations had taken place in the past under the
framework of the transfer agreement between the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and the
OECD.  The proposed agreement would serve to furt her such inter-organizational exchanges.  With
respect to the amount transferred from the Pension Plan to the Pension Scheme of the OECD referred
                                                     
2 See WT/GC/M/65, item 3(a).
3 WT/L/282.WT/GC/M/72
Page 9
to in Article 2.2(a), the basis for the calculation of the equivalent actuarial value was Article 2.2(a)(i).
In case the equivalent actuarial value was less than the withdrawal settlement under Article 2.2(a)(ii),
that withdrawal settlement corresponded to no more than the contributions paid by the participant.
Such a case was very rare, but Article 2.2(a)(ii) was applied to protect the individual participant in the
Plan.  As to the transfer agreement itself, he underlined that the consulting actuary who had examinedthe agreement had said that the interests of the Plan were fully protected.  This agreement was
identical to the transfer agreem ent between the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and the
OECD.  Regarding the number of staff who had tr ansferred between the WTO and the OECD, there
had been no transfer of staff between the two or ganizations over the past three years, and two
transfers over the past 10 years.
35. The representative of India thanked the Chairman of the Management Board of the WTO
Pension Plan for the clarifications, on the basis of which his delegation could join the consensus on
the transfer agreement.
36. The General Council took note of the statements and concurred  with the transfer agreement
(WT/L/446).
4. Waivers under Article IX of the WTO Agreement
(a) Dominican Republic – Minimum values under the Customs Valuation Agreement – Request
for waiver (G/C/W/286, G/C/W/310)
37. The Chairman drew attention to the communication from the Dominican Republic
(G/C/W/286) requesting a waiver from its obligations under the Customs Valuation Agreement until
1 July 2003, and to the related draft decision (G/C/W/310).
38. Mr. Hovorka (Czech Republic), Interim Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods,
reporting on the consideration of this request by the Council, said that the Council had approved the
waiver request and agreed to forward the draft decision to the General Council for adoption.
39. The General Council took note of the report and, in accordance with the Decision-Making
Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed in November 1995 (WT/L/93),
adopted the draft decision in G/C/W/310.4
(b) Haiti – Customs Valuation Agreement – Request for waiver (G/C/W/256/Rev.1, G/C/W/326)
40. The Chairman drew attention to the co mmunication from Haiti (G/C/W/256/Rev.1)
requesting a waiver from its obligations under the Customs Valuation Agreement until
30 January 2003, and to the related draft decision (G/C/W/326).
41. Mr. Hovorka (Czech Republic), Interim Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods,
reporting on the consideration of this request by the Council, said that the Council had approved the
waiver request and agreed to forward the draft decision to the General Council for adoption.
42. The General Council took note of the report and, in accordance with the Decision-Making
Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed in November 1995 (WT/L/93),
adopted the draft decision in G/C/W/326.5
                                                     
4 The Decision was subsequently circulated as WT/L/442.
5 The Decision was subsequently circulated as WT/L/439.WT/GC/M/72
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(c) Cuba – Article XV:6 of the GATT 1994 – Request for extension of waiver (G/C/W/303 and
Corr. 1, G/C/W/308)
43. The Chairman drew attention to the comm unication from Cuba (G/C/W/303 and Corr. 1)
requesting an extension until 31 December 2006 of the waiver previously granted to it from its
obligations under paragraph 6 of Article XV of the GATT 1994, and to the related draft decision(G/C/W/308).
44. Mr. Hovorka (Czech Republic), Interim Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods,
reporting on the consideration of this request by the Council, said that the Council had approved the
waiver request and agreed to forward the draft decision to the General Council for adoption.
45. The General Council took note of the report and, in accordance with the Decision-Making
Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed in November 1995 (WT/L/93),
adopted the draft decision in G/C/W/308.6
(d) Colombia –  Article 5.2 of the Agreement on Trade-Related  Investment Measures – Request
for waiver (G/C/W/340, G/C/W/343)
46. The Chairman drew attention to the communi cation from Colombia (G/C/W/343) requesting
a waiver from its obligations under Article 5.2 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment
Measures until 31 December 2003, and to the related draft decision.
47. Mr. Hovorka (Czech Republic), Interim Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods,
reporting on the consideration of this request by the Council, said that the Council had approved the
waiver request and agreed to forward the draft decision to the General Council for adoption.
48. The representative of the United States said that although his delegation supported the waiver
request, for which Colombia had made a convincing argument, it did not agree with the assertion in
the supporting documentation for this request (G/C/W/340) that these new measures had been duly
notified in 1995.
49. The General Council took note of the statement and of the report and, in accordance with the
Decision-Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed in November
1995 (WT/L/93), adopted the draft decision in G/C/W/343.7
(e) Review of Waivers Pursuant to Article IX:4 of the WTO Agreement
(i) EC – Autonomous preferential treatment to the countries of the Western Balkans, granted on
8 December 2000 until 31 December 2006 (WT/L/380 and Corr.1, WT/L/435)
(ii) Turkey – Preferential treatment for Bosnia-H erzegovina, granted on 8 December 2000 until
31 December 2006 (WT/L/381, WT/L/431)
50. The Chairman recalled that, pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 4 of Article IX of the
WTO Agreement, any waiver granted for a period of more than one year shall be reviewed by the
Ministerial Conference not later than one year after it is granted, and thereafter annually until the
waiver terminates.  Accordingly, the waivers listed under this Agenda item were before the General
Council for review.  The waiver decisions in documents WT/L/380 and Corr. 1 and WT/L/381 called
on the Members concerned to submit an annual report on the operation or implementation of the
waiver, with a view to facilitating the annual review provided for in paragraph 4 of Article IX.
                                                     
6 The Decision was subsequently circulated as WT/L/440.
7 The Decision was subsequently circulated as WT/L/441.WT/GC/M/72
Page 11
Reports from the European Communities and Turkey had been circulated in documents WT/L/435
and 431 respectively.
51. The General Council took note of the statement and of the reports in documents WT/L/435
and 431.
5. Major Review of the Implementation of th e Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC)
During the Second Stage of the Integration Process Pursuant to Article 8.11 of the ATC
(a) Statement by the Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods
52. Mr. Hovoraka (Czech Republic), Interim Chai rman of the Council for Trade in Goods, said
that when the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG) had met on 4 December 2001, its Chairman had
made a statement on the situation regarding the majo r review of the implementation of the Agreement
on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) during the second stage of the integration process.  The latter had
also indicated that he would continue his consul tations and would make a further statement to the
General Council at its present meeting.  He recalled that a series of formal meetings had been held in
September and October to conduct the review, during which many aspects of the ATC's
implementation were examined and many views expressed.  Details of these discussions had been
reported in documents G/C/M/51, 52 and 56.  These formal meetings had been followed by a series of
informal consultations with a view to preparing a report for consideration by the CTG containing asummary of the discussions, along with conclusions and, where appropriate, recommendations.
However, there had been important differences on many of the matters raised in the review, and it had
not been possible thus far to arrive at sufficient common ground to develop an acceptable set of
conclusions and recommendations.  Nevertheless, the Chairman had proposed to continue and
intensify the consultation process in 2002, with a view to submitting a report for consideration by theCTG at an early date.  As Interim Chairman, he wished to inform Members that he had discussed the
question of these consultations with the former Chairman of the CTG, and could personally reaffirm
this commitment.
53. The representative of India said that his delegation had taken note of the review process, both
in formal and informal modes, being undertaken by the CTG.  India appreciated the efforts of the
outgoing Chairman of the CTG in organizing inform al consultations to develop a framework for the
conclusion of this review.  India wished to thank the Textiles Monitoring Body (TMB) for preparing a
comprehensive report on implementation of the ATC,  to assist the CTG in its second major review.
This review came at a critical time, as the ATC and all restrictions thereunder would be terminated on
1 January 2005.  It was hard to see how the objective of the ATC to liberalize trade in textiles and
clothing through progressive integration was be ing achieved.  In seven years, only a few quota
restrictions had been eliminated by the textiles importing countries.  Unless major improvements wereeffected, the bulk of remaining quotas would remain in effect until the end of the transitional period.
The process of integration so far had not been commercially meaningful to developing exporting
countries.  Other measures by the restraining countries that had impeded the attainment of the
objective of the ATC included:  anti-dumping actions, subsequently found to be unjustified, on
products already under quota restrictions;  elim ination of quota restriction on certain non-WTO
Members while maintaining them on WTO Members; and lack of faithful implementation of
obligations under Article 1.5 of the ATC.  In this context, it was important that the CTG complete the
review process, as mandated under Articles 8.11 and 8.12 of the ATC, at the earliest possible date,
and take appropriate decisions in the light of the review to restore the balance of rights and obligations
accruing to the restrained Members under the ATC.  India appreciated the commitment expressed bythe Interim Chairman of the Council to intensify the consultation process in order to arrive at an
acceptable set of conclusions and recommendations, and to conclude this review exercise at an early
date.WT/GC/M/72
Page 12
54. The representative of China said that as a major textiles exporter, China had been following
closely as an observer the deliberations and consultations on this matter.  It was regrettable that the
major review was far from being concluded, let alone any decisions or recommendations made
pursuant to Article 8.12 to ensure that the balance of rights and obligations embodied in the ATC was
not being impaired.  China had serious concerns over the problems in trade in textiles, as well as withthe current state of the major review.  It hoped that the restraining Members would cooperate as much
as possible in order to break the deadlock in this review.  Moreover, Members had to take effective
measures to resolve the problems confronted in textiles and clothing trade, in particular with regard to
the progressive integration process, the application of the transitional safeguard mechanism, the use of
anti-dumping investigations and measures on restrained products, and the application of GATT 1994
rules and disciplines.  The details of the problems related to textiles and clothing trade were not new
to delegations, and his delegation would not go into them at the present meeting.  Neither did it wantto repeat its specific position on each of the problems already reflected in the joint papers submitted to
the CTG by textiles exporting Members and observers to the WTO.  The requests from developing
countries in this regard were fair and reasonable.  China wished to engage in and complete a
constructive dialogue with the restraining developed Members in order to find solutions to the
problems regarding the ATC's implementation, and looked forward to the resumption of theconsultations within the CTG at an early date.
55. The representative of Pakistan said that his delegation agreed with the statements by China
and India.  The CTG review had assumed greater importance in view of the Doha Ministerial
Declaration and the Decision on implementation-related issues and concerns.  The CTG had been
mandated to examine the implementation proposal s regarding growth-on-growth and to make
recommendations for appropriate action to the General Council by 31 July 2002.  The CTG, in its
major review of the implementation of the ATC, should be mindful of the mandate from Ministers at
Doha and, despite rhetoric by the restraining countr ies, should review the whole integration process in
that light.  Instead of an ease in restrictions, further difficulties and barriers had been erected against
exports of textiles and clothing from developing countries.  Examples were the frequent changes inrules of origin, ignoring of the provisions for LDCs and cotton-producing exporting countries, and
providing benefits to non-Members in violation of a basic principle of the GATT 1994, i.e. the m.f.n.
principle.  The CTG should be mindful of the task before it and should reflect the concerns of the
developing countries in its conclusions.
56. The representative of Bangladesh said that his delegation agreed with the statements by
China, India and Pakistan.  Some countries still maintained restrictions on imports of textiles and
clothing.  Bangladesh expected that these would be withdrawn, and that the CTG would complete itsreview in due course, with proper consideration of all demands.
57. The General Council took note of the statements.
(b) Composition of the Textiles Monitoring Body (WT/GC/W/465)
58. The Chairman invited the interim Chairman of the CTG to report on the outcome of the
consultations on the composition of the Textiles Monitoring Body (TMB).
59. Mr. Hovoraka (Czech Republic), Interim Chai rman of the Council for Trade in Goods, said
that the present composition of the TMB had been set by the General Council on 10 December 1997
for a period of four years, i.e until 31 December 2001.  Accordingly, the Chairman of the CTG had
held consultations to establish the composition of the TMB for the final three years of the ATC, i.e
from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2004.  On the basis of these consultations, he was in a positionto submit to Members, for their consideration and adoption, the draft decision on the composition of
the TMB for the third stage, in document WT/GC/W/465.WT/GC/M/72
Page 13
60. The General Council took note of the statement and adopted  the draft decision in
WT/GC/W/465.
6. Detailed terms of reference for the inter-agency panel on financing normal levels of
commercial imports of basic foodstuffs within the framework of the Marrakesh Decision
on Net Food-Importing Developing Countries (G/AG/12)
61. The Chairman recalled that at its meeting on 27 September 2001, the Committee on
Agriculture had agreed to the establishment of an inter-agency panel of financial and commodity
experts to explore ways and means for improving access by least-developed and net food-importing
developing countries to multilateral programmes and facilities, as well as the concept and feasibility
of the proposal for the establishment of a revolv ing fund (G/AG/W/49 and Add.1 and Corr.1).  The
Committee on Agriculture had further agreed at that meeting that the detailed terms of reference,
drawing on the Marrakesh Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of theReform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Developi ng Countries, would be
submitted by the Vice-Chairman of the Committee to the General Council for approval not later than
31 December 2001.  The terms of reference for the inter-agency panel of financial and commodity
experts (G/AG/12) were now before the General Council for approval.
62. Mr. Matsushima (Japan), on behalf of the Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture,
said that at its meeting on 6 December 2001, the Committee on Agriculture had adopted the detailed
terms of reference of the Inter-Agency Panel of Financial and Commodity Experts, contained in
G/AG/12.  Also at that meeting, following a proposal from the floor, the Committee had agreed that
the Vice-Chairman of the Committee would serve as Chairman of the Inter-Agency Panel of Financial
and Commodity Experts.  He would inform the Inter-Agency Panel of Financial and CommodityExperts of the views expressed by Members on the detailed terms of reference, as well as inform
Members of progress in the Panel's work.
63. The General Council took note of the statement, approved
 the terms of reference in document
G/AG/12 and took note that the Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture would Chair the
Inter-Agency Panel of Financial and Commodity Experts.
7. Review of procedures for circulation and derestriction of WTO documents – Draft
Decision (WT/GC/W/464)
64. The Chairman said that this item was on the agenda at the request of the European
Communities.  Also under this item, Deputy Director-General Mr. Rodriguez Mendoza would report
on his consultations on this issue.
65. Mr. Rodriguez Mendoza, Deputy-Director Genera l, said that a consensus had regrettably not
been reached among Members to modify the existing procedures for the circulation and derestriction
of WTO documents.  Although the vast majority of Members seemed to be ready to accept the draft
decision that had been submitted to the General Council for consideration, as amended in the recent
consultations on this matter, a few Members had continued to raise objections, mainly of a procedural
nature.  This was an unfortunate situation.  This issue had been under the consideration of the General
Council for nearly four years, and both Members and the Secretariat had devoted considerable timeand effort to it.  He noted that it had been on the General Council's agenda 12 times since 1998, when
it had first been decided to review and modify the current Decision, adopted in July 1996, which
called for revision two years later.  The first consultations had been conducted by former Deputy-
Director General Mr. Hoda between February 1998 and September 1999.  He had started his own
consultations in early July 2000 and had held 17 consultation sessions, in a mix of bilateral,plurilateral, regional and open-ended formats.  However, no final outcome was in sight.  It was hard to
understand that some Members continued to object to more simplified procedures for the derestriction
of official WTO documents when Members had themselves taken the lead towards greaterWT/GC/M/72
Page 14
derestriction.  For example, all of the negotiating proposals, other communications or technical papers
submitted by Members in the current negotiations on agriculture and on services had been submitted
as unrestricted.  These amounted to more than 180 proposals and other submissions to date.  As
Members moved into the negotiating process initiated at Doha, it was perhaps time to recognize that
issues such as the derestriction of WTO documents could be better addressed in the context of a morefundamental reform of the way the WTO operated, a nd not as a stand-alone issue as had been the case
thus far.
66. All representatives who spoke expressed appr eciation for Mr. Rodriguez Mendoza's efforts to
reach a consensus on revised procedures for the circulation and derestriction of WTO documents.
67. The representative of the European Communitie s said the Community had requested that this
item be on the agenda because this issue was in line with the commitments undertaken by Ministers in
paragraph 10 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  The Community noted that the WTO already had atransparent and liberal policy in this area.  There was thus no need for a decision on the fundamental
nature of the organization, but simply one to make the existing practice work better.  Several
delegations had made constructive proposals in the consultations, which could have been easily
integrated into the revised draft proposal.  This was a long-standing issue which should not be left
aside.  It would be detrimental to the credibility of the WTO if no solution could be found in the nearfuture.  The Community therefore urged other delegations to look for creative ways to make progress
on this issue to the benefit of all.
68. The representative of Bulgaria recalled that at the 18 July General Council meeting Bulgaria
had made specific proposals, inter alia , on the following points:  to exclude the possibility of last-
minute proposals by extending the deadline for submission of draft decisions, a deadline which wascurrently only 12 hours and was clearly insufficient for a transparent and inclusive decision-making
process;  to place "Job" documents on Members' website;  and to establish a deadline for the
circulation of minutes after meetings of WTO bodies.  He expressed his delegation's satisfaction that
in the informal consultations, solutions had been found on some of these points.  On the establishment
of a deadline for the circulation of minutes, a provision had been included in the draft circulated bythe Deputy Director-General in his most recent consultations.  Regarding the posting of "Job"
documents on Members' website, the Deputy Director-General had proposed that the General Council
Chairman make a statement instructing the Secretariat to that effect.  He believed that these two issues
could be decided upon before the adoption of a decision on derestriction, even at the present General
Council meeting.  These two decisions would consti tute an improvement in the functioning of the
WTO.  With respect to his proposal on extending the deadline for submission of draft decisions, in the
course of the consultations it had been agreed that the General Council would revert to this issue as amatter of priority and urgency.  In that respect, it was Bulgaria's understanding that the scope of
further consultations on the derestriction of WTO documents would include measures dealing with the
possible side-effects of enhanced derestriction rules, including the proposal to extend the deadline for
submission of draft proposals.
69. The representative of India said that on several occasions India had expressed some problems
in relation to the draft decision on this matter, which had not yet been addressed.  For example, his
delegation had noticed that certain WTO documents contained factual inaccuracies, or statements with
which his delegation did not concur or thought tendentious.  Therefore, delegations should examine
these documents and express their views before their derestriction.  Likewise, minutes of meetings
should be circulated and adequate time provided before derestriction to allow Members to study thedecisions recorded and ensure that nuances were correctly reflected.  These aspects still remained
unresolved in the draft decision.  The Deputy Director-General had mentioned the need for
fundamental reform of all WTO procedures.  His delegation agreed that there were many areas where
transparency was lacking, and had referred to this  issue earlier in the present meeting.  There were
several good suggestions in the paper submitted that day by a group of developing countries, and hisdelegation could also put forward many suggestions on how to make these procedures moreWT/GC/M/72
Page 15
transparent and effective.  Therefore, the proposal for a fundamental reform was welcome.  India
would participate in further consultations on derestriction, and as long as its concerns were taken on
board, progress could be made on this issue.
70. The representative of Canada said that his delegation attached great importance to this issue,
which had been on the table for several years.  The Doha Ministerial Declaration called for making
the WTO’s operations more transparent, including through more effective and prompt dissemination
of information.  It was therefore now time to act.  A decision on simplified procedures for the
circulation and derestriction of documents was wi thin grasp, and Canada urged Members to continue
to work to try to resolve this issue in a pragmatic fashion and as soon as possible.
71. The representative of the United States said  that her delegation shared the disappointment
expressed by others that this issue, which had been under consideration for a long time, had not been
brought to a successful conclusion.  The results at Doha should lend new impetus to these efforts, andit was time to bring this process to a successful close.  Many of the criticisms of the WTO were based
on ignorance, and the best cure for ignorance was information.  Making documents available to the
public was one way to provide information.  The Secretariat's proposal was sound and Members
should use it as a basis for finding consensus.  The United States was ready to work pragmatically to
meet the concerns of other delegations to bring this process to a successful conclusion.  Work shouldcontinue, based on the mandate given the Deputy Director-General by the General Council Chairman.
The United States did not favour changing that mandate at this stage or attaching it to other issues in
the work programme.  There would be other opportunities to pursue those issues.
72. The representative of Panama recalled that on several occasions his delegation had expressed
the importance of finding a satisfactory solution to this issue.  Panama had also stated that in addition
to the elements of external transparency, there we re concerns regarding internal transparency which
would also need to be addressed.  Like India, Panama believed that there should be a period of time to
allow Members to examine documents before they were made available to the public.  While
recognizing Members' right to submit a document as unrestricted, Panama believed that Members
should have sufficient opportunity to study documents in the language with which they were mostfamiliar.  In a constructive spirit Panama had been consulting delegations with an interest in this issue,
and had submitted a proposal whose elements could be incorporated in the proposed draft decision.
As stated by the United States, this draft decision could be used as a basis for further work.  Panama
would continue its efforts to find a solution as soon as possible which would address the various
concerns.
73. The representative of Malaysia said that with further consultations and flexibility from some
Members, a decision acceptable to all could be reached.  Malaysia believed that some delegations had
problems of a substantive nature which should be dealt with.  If these issues were solved, Members
would see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Although there were realities that would necessitate
further transparency, Malaysia noted Panama's statement that Members should take into account the
question of internal transparency.  The WTO was an intergovernmental body and Members were all
sovereign nations working with each other.  This led to the question of confidentiality and the abilityfor Members to control their "destiny".  In this regard, the Deputy Director-General's proposal had
taken into account some of Malaysia’s concerns, and a provision had been included on the circulation
status of Members' own documents.  However, under that proposal Members would lose control of
the circulation status of other documents.  Malaysia agreed with other delegations that Members
should have time to examine documents to ensure their accuracy before derestriction.  If documentswere circulated as unrestricted, errors could be picked up by the public and by the press, which would
be difficult to set straight.  His delegation hoped that Members would reach a positive result in further
consultations.
74. The representative of Brazil said that the proposed new procedures represented an
improvement, and his delegation was ready to support early adoption of the draft decision.  It wasWT/GC/M/72
Page 16
only reasonable to provide governments some time to analyse documents before their dissemination to
the public.  A rapid and successful conclusion to this process should be possible.  Brazil supported
Bulgaria's suggestion on the posting of "Job" doc uments on Members' WTO website, which could be
agreed without lengthy deliberation.  On the exte nsion of deadlines for the submission of draft
decisions, his delegation was ready to consider this as a separate item, but not in the context of theconsultations on the circulation and derestriction of WTO documents.
75. The representative of Chile said that his delegation supported the proposed draft decision.
Chile agreed with Canada, the US and others that this subject was important and required a decision
as soon as possible.
76. The representative of Peru said that her delegation was ready to accept the proposed draft
decision and hoped that the extra time some Members needed to consider this issue would be short.
77. The Chairman said that progress had clearly been made and agreement on this issue was
close.  However, some points still remained outstanding.  All Members who had spoken had
expressed a willingness to continue to work on this question, and many had indicated at least a degree
of flexibility.  There was a general sense that if a further effort were made, Members would be able to
reach agreement.  He therefore proposed that the General Council take note of the statements and
agree to revert to this matter at its next meetin g.  In the meantime, further informal consultations
would be held in order to bring this matter to a conclusion.
78. The General Council took note of the statements and so agreed .
8. Work programme on harmonizing rules of origin – Report by the Chairman of the
Committee on Rules of Origin
79. The Chairman recalled that the General Council, at its Special Session on Implementation on
14 and 15 December 2000, had adopted the following Decision concerning the Agreement on Rules
of Origin:  "Members undertake to expedite the remaining work on the harmonization of non-
preferential rules of origin, so as to complete it by the time of the Fourth Ministerial Conference, or
by the end of 2001 at the latest.  The Chairman of the Committee on Rules of Origin shall report
regularly, on his own responsibility, to the General Council on the progress being made.  The firstsuch report would be submitted to the Council at its first regular meeting in 2001, and subsequently at
each regular meeting until the completion of the work programme." (WT/L/384).  At the Fourth
Session of the Ministerial Conference, Ministers had taken note of the progress on the harmonization
work programme and had urged the Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO) to complete its work by the
end of 2001 (WT/MIN(01)/17).
80. Representatives expressed praise and appreciation for the hard work done by the CRO and its
Chairman.
81. Mr. Ahn (Korea), Chairman of the CRO, intro ducing his report in G/RO/49, said that it
covered the review of progress made, identification of the scope of remaining issues, and the future
course of work for the conclusion of the harmonization work programme.  Regarding the progress
made in the past year, between September 1997 and September 2000 the CRO had held 23 meetings
during which 22 issues had been resolved.  Since November 2000, the pace of negotiations had begunto pick up, and 53 issues had been resolved during the most recent meeting.  Regarding identification
of the remaining work, the table on page 3 of G/RO/49 listed all the issues referred to the CRO by the
WCO Technical Committee on Rules of Origin.  For all product groups save three, progress had been
made on more than 75 per cent of the products.  The three exceptions were agricultural products,
textiles and footwear, where there were good reasons for the lack of progress.  Regarding the futurecourse of work for the completion of the harmonization work programme, paragraph 4.3 of the report
contained four suggestions.  The first was to request the General Council to extend the CRO'sWT/GC/M/72
Page 17
mandate so that two additional sessions devoted to the work programme could be held in the first half
of 2002.  The second was to focus in these sessions on the agricultural and textile chapters.  The third
was to have further discussions on the overall architecture and implications of the harmonization work
programme for other WTO agreements, on the basis of the progress made on product-specific issues.
The fourth suggestion was to try to streamline the remaining issues to a limited number of core
policy-level issues which would be reported to the General Council for discussion and resolution at
that level.  What distinguished this proposal from previous mandates given to the CRO was the fact
that there would be a division of labour between the CRO and the General Council.
82. While there had been no immediate consensus on this proposal in the CRO, his informal
consultations since the circulation of the report in G/RO/49 had indicated a growing consensus that
the deadline should be extended to the end of 2002, and that two additional sessions of the CRO
should be held in the first half of 2002 to resolve remaining issues and to identify a limited number ofcore policy-level issues, with a report to be submitted to the General Council for discussion and
decision.  There was also growing consensus on the need for a specific mandate from the General
Council at the present meeting, in order to avoid losing momentum.
83. The representative of Korea  expressed his delegation's satisfaction with the accelerated pace
of the harmonization work programme in the Committ ee over the past year, although there was still
more work to do.  Important momentum had been created and the Committee had reached consensus
on more than 300 issues in one year.  If that momentum were lost, it would be extremely difficult to
regain within the foreseeable future.  Also, irrespective of the progress made, there remained more
than 150 substantive issues to resolve, and these highly technical issues could not be effectively
discussed at the level of the General Council.  Lastly, the remaining issues, given their sensitivity,needed attention and decision at a high policy level, along with a willingness to compromise.  In view
of these circumstances, the CRO's mandate should be extended for a reasonable period of time, in line
with the recommendation of its Chairman.
84. The representative of the Philippines said that since 1995 there had been intensive work on
the harmonization of rules of origin.  During 2001 alone, a total of five meetings of two weeks each
had been held.  From 1997 to the end of 2000, a total of 12 dedicated meetings of either one or two
weeks had been held.  This did not include the 15 dedicated sessions of either one or two weeks held
in Brussels in the early days of the work programme.  This indicated the serious difficulties involved
in completing this work programme, whose deadline had already been extended twice.  While, as the
CRO Chairman had indicated, considerable momentum  had been built, Members were reaching the
point of diminishing returns, and capitals should ex ert the political responsibility needed to resolve
most of these issues.  Among the sensitive sectors, agriculture was now in negotiating mode, andfootwear and textiles should be in negotiating mode in line with the decision taken at Doha.
However, Members could not make an offer list when they were not even sure if they were talking
about the same standards of product classification.  Thus, his delegation had no choice but to support
an extension of the CRO's mandate on this work.  After the second and final dedicated session of the
Committee, the General Council would have to take  stock of the unresolved issues and delegations
would have to get the necessary instructions from capitals to resolve them.  On that basis, his
delegation would agree to the extension of the deadline for another six months, i.e. for two additional
meetings.
85. The representative of India expressed his dele gation's disappointment that the CRO's work on
harmonization had not been completed within the deadline set.  Nevertheless, even though the CRO
has not been able to fully meet the requirements of its mandate, substantial progress had been made
during 2001 in resolving many outstanding issues.  It was important to send a signal that the intensive
work done had not been in vain, and that a final round of meetings, coupled with the necessary
political will and flexibility from all Members, was required.  The numbers documented the progress
made, in particular in the CRO’s session in September 2001 and, to a lesser extent, in the sessionsheld post-Doha.  However, these numbers masked two important aspects.  First, the remaining 155WT/GC/M/72
Page 18
outstanding issues included the most sensitive sectors and issues for various Members.  Second, a
certain number of core policy-level issues, on whose resolution a vast number of the remaining issues
hinged, required explicit consideration.  It was important to consider the most appropriate way to deal
with these sensitive and core policy-level issues.
86. India's interest in seeking to draw the harm onization work programme to an expeditious and
time-bound conclusion was well known.  In the interests of maintaining the momentum of the work in
the CRO and in order not to lose the results achieved thus far, his delegation had worked with the
CRO Chairman on the common elements of the approaches outlined by various Members in the
consultations held.  India agreed that it was nece ssary for the General Council to determine, at the
present stage, how the harmonization work programme could be brought to completion, and that
flexibility and political will should be shown on the further extension of its deadline.  A deadline of
31 December 2002 was logical and consistent with the Doha Ministerial Decision on implementationissues (WT/MIN(01)/17).  India also agreed that  it would be appropriate to mandate the CRO to
convene two additional sessions on the harmonization work programme in the first half of 2002,
which would perhaps focus on agriculture and textiles issues and the overall architecture, without
precluding the CRO’s consideration of any other outsta nding issue.  It might also be necessary for the
CRO Chairman to report regularly to the General Co uncil, in addition to reporting on the final results
at the end of the second additional session, including on any issues that remained for discussion and
resolution by the General Council.  India hoped that Members would finally be able to complete this
exercise before they became engaged in the future work programme adopted at Doha.  Enormous
trade facilitation benefits would result to all Members from harmonized rules of origin.
87. The representative of Norway said that his delegation shared the concerns and frustrations
that after half a decade of deliberations, Members had still not agreed to all outstanding harmonization
issues.  Norway welcomed the progress made on a number of products, which gave it hope that
further and faster progress would be possible in the near future.  It therefore supported the CRO
Chairman’s recommendation to make a concerted and intensified effort at a technical level during the
first half of 2002 to bring this important task to a conclusion.  It was essential that all delegationsclarify their positions and return to the discussions with sufficient flexibility to obtain viable results.
88. The representative of Thailand said that the CRO's achievements in 2001 alone were
impressive.  However, more time was needed to complete the task with which it had been charged.
The nature of the remaining issues was technical rather than political, and considerable momentum
had been built in the Committee which should be used to advance progress.  Thailand supported the
proposal to extend the Committee's mandate to continue working on the harmonization work
programme for two more sessions, with a view to completing it by end-2002.  Members should showmore flexibility in their efforts to resolve the re maining issues, especially on agriculture and textiles,
that would be of interest to developing countries.
89. The representative of Singapore said it was clear from the CRO Chairman's report that a lot of
intensive work had been carried out in the Committe e, resulting in the resolution of more than 300
issues over the past nine months.  This was a tremendous achievement, and it was important not tolose the momentum generated, since there were still 155 issues outstanding.  Singapore supported the
extension of the CRO's mandate so that the remaining work could be completed by 31 December
2002.
90. The representative of Brazil said that the statistics reflected in the CRO Chairman's report
were eloquent demonstrations of the results achieved.  However, notwithstanding this progress, it was
clear that the current methodology of work in the CRO in fulfilling its mandate on the harmonization
work program had reached a point of diminishing returns.  This situation stemmed from the fact that
the Committee had arrived at a point where a strictly technical approach to the outstanding issues
might be inadequate to find solutions that would enable Members to complete this work.  The General
Council had given the CRO a clear mandate to conclude the harmonization work by end-2001, whichWT/GC/M/72
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had been reaffirmed by Ministers in Doha, but this mandate had not been complied with.  In addition,
the harmonization work programme was an outstanding issue from the Uruguay Round, and as such
was an implementation issue to which Brazil attached particular importance.  This aspect had been
recognized by Members in including this issue in the Decision on implementation-related issues and
concerns adopted in Doha (WT/MIN(01)/17).
91. Brazil had participated actively and constructively in the CRO's work with a broad-based
delegation of technical experts.  As a new work programme got under way in the WTO, the capacity
of all delegations to mobilize the human resources necessary to continue with the current working
methodology in the CRO would become severely strain ed.  For these reasons, Brazil felt that the most
appropriate course of action would have been for the General Council to direct the CRO to identify
the core policy-level issues that constituted an obstacle to further technical-level progress, in order
that they be directly addressed in the General Council.  This would have opened the way forexpeditious progress on the remaining technical issues at the CRO level.  However, the overriding
priority for Brazil was the conclusion of the harmonization work programme.  In this spirit, Brazil
was prepared to follow the CRO Chairman's recommendation and to join a consensus to grant two
additional sessions of the CRO dedicated to this matter.  However, this position was conditional on
the manner in which the decision to extend the Committee's mandate was crafted.  It wasindispensable that such a decision include explicit reference to the following two elements:  (i) the
General Council would directly take over responsibility for all outstanding issues under the
harmonization work programme, immediately followin g the last of the two sessions granted;  and
(ii) the General Council would agree to expediti ously conclude the harmonization work programme,
and in no case extend it beyond end-2002.
92. The representative of New Zealand said his delegation was aware that it had not been easy for
some delegations to join in a consensus to extend further the CRO's mandate on the harmonization
work programme, and New Zealand was committed to delivering on the understandings that would
accompany a decision to this effect.  This included accepting the points just flagged by Brazil.  The
success of the CRO Chairman raised the question as to whether he might be retained in that role
beyond the end of 2001.
93. The representative of Australia said that his delegation shared in the frustration over the slow
progress that had been made in the CRO, but felt there was no alternative but to continue that work.
Therefore, Australia supported the extension of the CRO's mandate and the proposed deadlines.  A
business-as-usual approach during this extension had to be avoided at all costs, and the General
Council should direct the CRO to do all it could to  significantly reduce the outstanding issues and to
report to the General Council with a summary of any issues that might still be outstanding, includingan assessment of sticking points and, if possible, what action might be required to achieve consensus.
94. The representative of the European Communities said that his delegation, like others,
regretted that the CRO had missed another deadline, but agreed that this time it had not been due to
delegations' lack of effort.  There was good momentum in this process, and Members should continue
it and should fix a credible new deadline.  A six-month deadline risked being missed again, to thedetriment of the negotiations.  The Community favoured an extension to end-2002.  Another
suggestion would be to concentrate on the technical issues, as progress had been made there.  It
should also be considered whether the CRO should report to the Trade Negotiations Committee at the
end of 2002 – even though this was not strictly an issue falling under paragraph 12(b) of the Doha
Declaration – since there were strong similarities with the issues under that paragraph.
95. The representative of Hungary said that the CRO Chairman's report was a fair and accurate
assessment of the situation, and Hungary supported his proposal, with the understanding set out by
Brazil.  His delegation could associate itself with all of the statements made at the present meeting,
which indicated the momentum that had been built in the CRO.  The remaining issues were the most
difficult ones and were not technical issues.  To make any progress on them, serious policy-levelWT/GC/M/72
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decisions had to be taken in capitals, especially in relation to the overall architecture issues and the
implication of the harmonization work programme for other WTO agreements.  Only after these
decisions had been taken and there had been changes in certain delegations' positions, could rapid
progress be made.
96. The representative of the United States said th at all recognized that significant progress had
been made over the past year and that this was a significant change from the past.  There was clearly
work remaining, and given the resources that had been put into this exercise, there was a desire to
complete that work.  The CRO Chairman had proposed a practical way forward which the United
States could support.
97. The representative of Mexico said that his delegation viewed the CRO's work positively and
was committed to continuing to participate in the harmonization work programme.  Issues of rules of
origin were extremely complex and required the participation of specialized experts.  The CRO shouldcontinue its work on harmonization, to which Mexico pledged its full support.
98. The representative of Canada said that the CRO Chairman had put forward pragmatic
proposals which Canada could accept.  His delegation was committed to continuing the work on this
important subject.
99. The Chairman said that the regret at again missing the deadline in this important exercise
seemed to be tempered somewhat by an understanding of the complex nature of the subject and also
by the momentum which had been built in the Committee.  There seemed to be a strong feeling
among Members that this momentum should be maintained.  He therefore proposed that the CRO
hold two additional sessions in the first half of 2 002 to resolve remaining issues.  In the process, it
might identify a limited number of core policy-level issues which in its view needed to be reported tothe General Council for discussion and decision at th at level.  The outcome of the CRO's further work
would be reported by the Chairman of the Committee, on his own responsibility, to the General
Council at its first regular meeting after the end of June 2002, at which point the matter would be in
the hands of the General Council.  The deadline for completion of the harmonization work
programme would be extended to the end of 2002.
100. The General Council took note of the statements and so agreed
.
9. Reports of the Special Sessions of the Committee on Agriculture and of the Council for
Trade in Services (G/AG/NG/9, S/CSS/10)
101. The Chairman recalled that this was a standing item on the General Council's agenda, and
drew attention to the reports of the Special Sessions of the Committee on Agriculture and the Council
for Trade in Services in documents G/AG/NG/9 and S/CSS/10 respectively.
102. The General Council took note of the reports.
10. Follow-Up to the Fourth Session of the Ministerial Conference
103. The Chairman recalled that Ministers at Doha, in agreeing to a broad and balanced work
programme for the WTO for the coming years, had tasked the General Council with taking specific
actions to implement elements of this work programme and to oversee their operation and progress.
Ministers had also taken other decisions which the General Council would need to take intoconsideration in organizing its work for the coming year.  At the same time, Ministers had agreed that
the overall conduct and progress of the elements of the work programme involving negotiations
should be supervised by a Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) under the authority of the General
Council.  In addressing the question of follow-up to  the results of the Doha Conference, he noted the
instruction of Ministers that, in addition to the ne gotiating elements, high priority should also beWT/GC/M/72
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accorded to the elements of the work programme which did not involve negotiation.  These were to be
pursued under the overall supervision of the General Council with a report on progress submitted to
the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference.
104. On some of these elements, Ministers had already specified mechanisms, modalities and
time-frames, and it remained for the General Council to set the institutional machinery in motion byassigning presiding officers to the bodies in questio n so that their work could begin.  This was the
situation, for example, with the new working groups established under the auspices of the General
Council on trade, debt and finance, and on trade a nd transfer of technology.  He would be consulting
with delegations on the appointment of officers to these and other bodies as appropriate.  He had also
been reflecting on how to advance the work programme on small economies, which Ministers had
agreed to establish under the auspices of the General Council.  This was a matter that would benefit
from a discussion in the General Council, and he suggested that it be placed on the agenda of theGeneral Council's first meeting in 2002, and that an y necessary institutional arrangements in this
regard be made in the light of that discussion.
105. On certain other elements of the work programme, Members were already in a position to
take some action at the present meeting.  In particular, action had just been taken under Item 2 on
funding for WTO technical assistance.  Under a following agenda item, he would make somesuggestions on how to organize future work on electronic commerce in the light of the Doha
Declaration.  In addition to these elements requiring immediate direct action, Ministers had also
instructed the General Council to follow up on specific areas over the course of 2002, on the basis of
reports to be received from subsidiary bodies and from the Director-General.  In particular, he wished
to note the following:
106. At the first meeting of the General Council in 2002, the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed
Countries would report on an agreed work programme for the LDCs.
- By July 2002, the General Council would receive a report from the
Committee on Trade and Development with recommendations for decision
on issues relating to the provisions in the WTO Agreements on special and
differential treatment.
- In December 2002, the General Council would receive interim reports from
the Director-General on the implementation and adequacy of technical
cooperation and capacity-building commitments in the Doha Declaration, as
well as on all issues affecting LDCs fo llowing coordination with the Heads of
other Integrated Framework agencies.  Final reports would, of course, be
submitted to the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference.
- The General Council would also receive, before the end of 2002, a report
from the TRIPS Council on the problem of Members with insufficient or no
manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector in making effective use
of compulsory licensing.  This stemmed from the Declaration adopted by
Ministers on the TRIPS Agreement and public health.
- Finally, on implementation issues, the General Council would receive
recommendations from the Council for Trade in Goods in July 2002 on its
examination of the implementation-related proposals submitted to it in the
area of textiles and clothing.  It would also receive, not later than the end of
2002, recommendations from the Market Access Committee on the issuesraised with regard to the meaning of  the phrase "substantial supplier" in
Article XIII of GATT 1994.WT/GC/M/72
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- As regards the other outstanding implementation issues, these would be taken
up as provided for in the Ministerial Declaration, either directly under the
specific negotiating mandates provided for in the Declaration, or in the
relevant Councils and Committees, which would report to the TNC by the
end of 2002.
- In addition to these tasks specifically assigned to the General Council and the
TNC, a very considerable amount of work would, of course, also be pursued
in other WTO bodies, notably on TRIPS and environment issues, as well as
on the four Singapore subjects under the enhanced mandates agreed by
Ministers at Doha.
107. He recalled that Ministers at Doha had also instructed the General Council to hold
consultations on the dates and venue of the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference, as well as onthe election of officers for that meeting.  On the question of venue, he recalled that in a
communication of 23 November 2001, the Government of  Mexico had kindly offered to host the Fifth
Session.  This matter would be taken up under Item 12 of the agenda.  At an appropriate time in 2002,
Members would also need to give thought to the dates, officers and preparations for that Ministerial
Conference.
108. Finally, reverting to the question of the negotiations established in the Doha Declaration,
which Ministers had stipulated should be supervised by the TNC under the authority of the General
Council, he informed delegations that the first meeting of the TNC would be convened for 28 January,
and he would be consulting actively with delegations in preparation for that meeting.  He believed it
would be necessary, as a first step, to agree on th e appointment of a Chair for the TNC.  Hopefully,
the meeting would also be able to decide, at a minimum, on an effective structure for the negotiations
that would allow Members to best implement the mandate from Ministers, on the necessary
chairpersons to carry out this work, and on the TNC's work programme for the coming year.
Ministers had set a very tight schedule for the completion of these negotiations, and he hoped that
Members would be able to resolve these institutional issues quickly so as to enable them to start thenegotiating process in earnest.
109. Clearly, the General Council's agenda resulting from the decisions at Doha appeared to be
fairly heavy for 2002.  Nevertheless, he wished to assure all delegations that this would in no way
detract from its pending and ongoing work, which should continue to receive the attention it deserved.
He was aware that this had been a matter of concern to many Members, and he intended to bring these
concerns to the attention of his successor early in 2002.  At the same time, he also wished to assure
delegations, particularly those with small or limited resources, that in pursuing the General Council'swork over the coming year and beyond, the chairpersons of other WTO bodies and the Chairman of
the General Council would continue to do their utmost to keep to the established guidelines for the
scheduling of meetings, in order to reduce the burden on small delegations as far as possible.
However, he was aware that even with the best of intentions, overlaps were sometimes inevitable,
particularly with an increased work load.  The Director-General shared delegations' concerns in thisregard and had requested Deputy Director-General Mr. Rodriguez Mendoza, as part of an internal
review, to examine and make recommendations to him on the question of the frequency and
scheduling of meetings.  He welcomed these efforts by the Secretariat and wished to request it to keep
this matter under constant review.
110. The representative of the European Communities said that the statement by the Chairman
indicated that the WTO had a formidable task ahead, both on the negotiating agenda and on the work
programme as such.  On both accounts, time-frames had been agreed by Ministers and every effort
should be made to meet their expectations.  Impl ementing the Doha Development Agenda in a timely
manner was first and foremost in the interest of the Members themselves, and particularly the least-
developed ones.  There was an urgent need to get down to substantive business and to workWT/GC/M/72
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effectively.  It was also necessary to involve fu lly the entire membership in Members' collective
endeavours.  Considerable progress had been made on this in the run-up to Doha, which should be
further underpinned both by capacity building and by a genuine willingness to address developing
countries' concerns.  This implied thorough cooperation and a constructive mind-set.  Rather than
disputes between proponents and opponents, Members should be working constructively together tobuild consensus for timely implementation of the Doha Development Agenda.  The coming informal
consultations would be important, and the Chairman could count on the Community's full backing in
ensuring that by the end of January 2002, decisions would be taken on the TNC, its Chair, the
negotiating structure and the Chairs of the different groups.  Members should collectively resist the
tendency to prolong discussions on process and to delay the actual start of substantive work.  They
should also ensure that the negotiating agenda would be dealt with in an effective and competent way.
This implied continuity in the Chairs – as had been the case in the Uruguay Round – and treating allissues for negotiation on an equal footing.  Above all, Members had to ensure that the Geneva
machinery got started, in view of the need  for a successful mid-term review in 2003.
111. The representative of Pakistan said that the actions approved at Doha could be categorized
into two major groups:  the actual negotiations de cided at Doha, and the rest of the work programme.
It would first be necessary to clarify what issues Members would be launching negotiations on.  Somewere clear, such as agriculture, services and non-agricultural tariff negotiations.  Negotiations would
also be necessary on WTO rules, as well as on the outstanding implementation issues covered in
paragraph 12 of the Doha Declaration, and also on operationalization of special and differential
treatment for developing countries.  Apart from the identification of the substance and scope of the
negotiations, Members also had to identify the process for these negotiations.  Pakistan's views on theTNC, and those of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Honduras, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and
Zimbabwe, had been circulated in document WT/GC/58, which outlined the role of the General
Council vis-à-vis  the TNC.  These countries believed that the General Council, as was stated in the
Doha Declaration, would guide the work of the TNC, and that the TNC would work under the direct
instructions of the General Council.  The TNC w ould report to the General Council at least every
three months, and all aspects of the negotiating procedures and structures of the TNC would be
adopted by the General Council.
112. The number of new negotiating groups should be kept to a minimum.  There were already
WTO bodies engaged in negotiations on agriculture and services, and negotiations in other areas
could take place in special sessions of existing bodies which had mandates within those areas.
Furthermore, the constraints of the smaller delegations had to be kept in mind in drawing up the
programme of work and the calendar of meetings.  No more than one negotiating body should meet atone time, even in informal mode.  Regarding the selection of Chairs and their role, the General
Council should ensure that the Chairs of the TNC and other relevant negotiating bodies were selected
in a fully transparent and inclusive manner that reflected a balanced and proportional representation of
the membership and that ensured their active participation throughout the process.  The selection
should be the result of an explicit consensus in a formal meeting, with a proportionate distribution ofChairs between developed and developing countries reflective of the present composition of the WTO
membership.  The Chairs should be appointed for no longer than one year, with the possibility of
re-election if so decided by consensus by the General Council.  Where a Chair was from a developed
country, the vice-Chair should be from a developing country.  The Chairs should coordinate the
negotiations in a neutral manner and should ensure that all views were represented accurately.Regarding other issues related to process, the minutes of all meetings should be an accurate and
objective account of what was said, and all views expressed should be recorded verbatim.  The
minutes of each meeting should be circulated within 10 days of the conclusion of the meeting.  All
informal and other consultations on draft decisions and on negotiating texts should be undertaken in
open-ended meetings.  Negotiating texts should be made available two weeks in advance, and alldisagreements – including alternative language formulations – should be reflected in square brackets.
Prior to the conclusion of the negotiations, the extent to which special and differential treatment
objectives had been attained and reflected in the outcome of the negotiations should be taken intoWT/GC/M/72
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account, as set out in the Doha Declaration.  Any mi d-term review should also consider these points.
If at any stage a negotiating text or a part of a negotiating text were opened, all areas should be open
for modification.  Pakistan trusted that these views would be fully taken into account and reflected in
the consultations to be undertaken.
113. Aside from the negotiating process, an equally important work programme had been launched
by the Doha Declaration, and adequate priority needed to be given to its implementation.  That work
programme would include, among other things, further work on the so-called Singapore issues, work
in the newly created working groups on debt and transfer of technology, and implementation of
decisions taken at Doha on special and differential treatment for developing countries.  Capacity
building and technical assistance were also important elements of this work programme.  Pakistan
hoped that consultations would lead to clarity on both the scope of the negotiations and the process by
which they would be undertaken, as well as on the rest of the work programme.  Pakistan and theother delegations which had jointly circulated the paper on the negotiating process looked forward to
participation in open-ended consultations to this end.
114. The representative of Cuba said that his delegation fully shared the views expressed by
Pakistan.  He reiterated Cuba's concern about the need to ensure that the establishment of the TNC
would not limit or in any way restrict the functions  that were the competence of the General Council.
There was also a need to avoid the proliferation of bodies and meetings, which would affect the
participation of developing countries in the future negotiating process.  Paragraph 49 of the Doha
Declaration instructed the TNC to  ensure that the negotiations were conducted in a transparent way
and with the effective participation of all, so as to strike a general balance in their results.  In order to
do this, work had to begin on the principle that the TNC should work under the direct supervision ofthe General Council and according to direct instructions dictated by that body, above all in connection
with matters related to the structure and procedure for negotiations, which should be adopted by the
General Council.  The General Council should also ensure the non-proliferation of meetings and
bodies, so that all negotiations would take place in special sessions of existing bodies and there would
be no parallel meetings of negotiating bodies.  The WTO had held 1,600 meetings during 2000 andeven more in 2001.  It was difficult for delegations with limited resources to attend numerous
meetings.  Regarding the chairmanship of the TNC and of the negotiating bodies, it would be
necessary to hold consultations with all Members, in  order to reach a clear and explicit consensus in
the General Council and to ensure that the various Chairs would conduct their work in an impartial
and transparent way.  In order to ensure the success of the negotiations mandated in Doha, it was
essential, before the negotiating process was concluded, for the General Council to make an
assessment of the extent to which the objectives and purposes of special and differential treatment hadbeen met, and of the general balance in the results of the negotiations.
115. The representative of Barbados said that the negotiating agenda agreed to in Doha was very
ambitious.  While it had been said that the post-Doha work programme presented a number of
opportunities for developing countries, Barbados was not certain that the opportunities were not out-
numbered and out-weighed by the challenges inherent in that agenda.  One of the avenues – althoughby no means the only one – to facilitate the transformation of challenges into opportunities was to
ensure that the commitments made at Doha on technical assistance and capacity building were
fulfilled in a concrete manner.  One of the elements of the post-Doha non-negotiation work
programme which Barbados regarded as an opportunity was the mandate for the establishment of a
Work Programme on Small Economies under the auspices of the General Council.  This was animportant issue for Barbados and for a number of other countries.  His delegation fully agreed with
the Chairman's suggestion that Members start their deliberations on this matter at the first General
Council meeting in 2002, and looked forward to Members’ positive and constructive participation in
these deliberations.
116. On the organization of future work, Barbados was grateful that the problems confronting
small, resource- and capacity-constrained delegations had been recognized.  Insofar as this related toWT/GC/M/72
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the conduct and management of the negotiations, it was necessary to keep to a strict minimum the
number of negotiating bodies that would be created in addition to existing bodies, and there should be
no simultaneous meetings of any of the negotiating bodies.  In this regard, Barbados supported many
of the elements in the paper presented by Pakistan and a number of developing countries.
117. The representative of Costa Rica said that decisions on these matters needed to be taken
quickly, as it was important to come to grips with the tasks set out at Doha and to start the substantive
work.  Costa Rica supported and wished to emphasize the statement by the Community.  Two
principles had to be complied with in this process.  First, equal treatment of all subjects for
negotiation, with negotiating groups for all areas where there was a mandate for negotiations,
including agriculture and services.  And second, continuity in the negotiation process.
118. The representative of Tanzania, speaking on behalf of the LDCs, said that these countries
welcomed the accession of China and looked forward to seeing an acceleration in the accession
process for LDCs.  Their views on the the present agenda item were preliminary and focussed mainly
on the TNC.  The Chair of the TNC should be chosen from among Geneva-based ambassadors of
WTO Members, so as to ensure a proper fit with the principle of "Member-driven".  This preference
stemmed from the need for continuity, easy access to the Chair and the Vice-Chair by Members, and
vice-versa.  It would be extremely disappointing if the choice of TNC Chair, whose decisions and
influence would have a long-lasting impact on Members' trade activities and development, were to be
imposed.  The LDCs had participated in launching these negotiations and wished to see their concerns
taken on board.  The Chair should be impartial throughout the process, unbiased and strong enough to
ensure that LDCs' interests and concerns were not marginalized, as they had been in the past.  The
imbalances and asymmetries of the Uruguay Round were well known, had undermined themultilateral trading system, and had also created numerous implementation problems for developing
countries, especially the LDCs.  After careful reflection, the LDCs were convinced that the Chair
should hold his post for only one year, to allow for rotation among regions.  Where the Chair was
from a developed country, the Vice-Chair should be from a developing country, and the  latter should
automatically assume the Chair the following year.
119. Regarding other negotiating bodies, their Chairs and Vice-Chairs should also be Geneva-
based representatives in order to exercise membership control and to uphold the Member-driven
principle.  The Secretariat should provide support services and should not be involved in the
negotiations.  No green room process should be allowed to take decisions on negotiations.  All
negotiating decisions should be made in the General Council, which would provide the final
negotiating text on the basis of a consensus among Members.  The General Council should have a
supervisory role vis-à-vis the TNC, and at no time should the opposite be the case.  Thus, the TNCwould receive instructions from the General Council.   The LDCs also wished to emphasize the need
for complete transparency and explicit consensus regarding the preparatory work to establish
negotiating structures and processes.  For the LDCs, one of the key objectives of the negotiating
process was to ensure that all of their main concerns and interests in the negotiations were taken on
board.
120. The representative of Australia said that the Chairman's statement at the outset of this item
was an appropriate wake-up call regarding the magnitude of the task at hand.  Ministers and
Governments had charged the General Council with a very comprehensive work programme for the
next few years.  Some elements involved negotiations.  Others involved the continuation of the
existing work programme, together with some new additional elements.  Australia supported theChairman's suggestions on how to organize the work programme, and fully agreed that the aim of the
first meeting of the TNC should be to decide on the structure for the negotiations, the Chairs of the
negotiating bodies and the work programme for at least the next 12 months.  It was imperative that
Members agree on these institutional issues quickly.  All delegations seemed to be determined to meet
the deadlines set by Ministers.  Australia had been particularly impressed at the most recent SpecialWT/GC/M/72
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Session on agriculture by the determination of all major delegations involved in agriculture to adhere
to the objective of reaching an agreement on modalities for negotiations by March 2003.
121. A litany of concerns had been expressed in the course of the recent overview of developments
in the trading system about the current international trade outlook and the impact of protectionist
measures, whether anti-dumping or countervailing duties, safeguard measures, increasing support foragriculture, high tariff peaks or the negative effects of regional trade agreements.  All of these were,
in fact, issues on which Ministers had agreed to negotiate.  He was certain that he could say, on behalf
of the CAIRNS Group of countries, and probably many  other delegations, that agricultural exporters
would not want to defer work on phasing out export subsidies, reducing domestic support or opening
up new market access, by becoming bogged down in an unnecessary discussion about process.  A
number of delegations had put forward ideas for organizing the work at hand.  While Australia wished
to examine these in detail, many seemed to be advocating a simple structure while complicating the
process as much as possible.  If Members were serious about implementing the Doha Declaration they
should resist becoming bogged down in a complicated  array of procedures that would inhibit the
prospect of making progress.  The idea that the TNC should be regarded simply as another subsidiary
body of the General Council was completely at odds with the important task Ministers had entrusted
to it.
122. There was considerable merit in establishing a small number of negotiating groups.  However,
it would be a dreadful mistake to limit the chairpersons to Geneva-based ambassadors.  In response to
Tanzania's statement, he wished to say that if the LDCs were serious about getting better access for
agriculture or textiles or services, it would be a terrible mistake to limit chairpersons to Geneva-based
delegates, who were often heads of small delegations and thus already charged with heavyresponsibilities, and expect them to devote attention to the negotiations on the various subjects.
Further, the issues for negotiation were complex, and it was not practical to ask a Geneva-based
ambassador each year in February to take on the job of learning about all the issues in all of the areas
of negotiation.  Rather, Members should look for individuals with the necessary expertise and
availability.  Clearly, those individuals would have to be acceptable to the entire membership, butMembers should not go ahead blindly by saying that the field should be limited to Geneva-based
delegates.  There was also much to be said for no t limiting the role of chairperson to simply being a
coordinator, as this would not be conducive to reaching agreement on industrial tariffs, agriculture,
rules and so on.
123. His delegation was sympathetic to the burden of small delegations, as it was one itself, and
the scheduling of meetings should be orderly and manageable.  However, Ministers had set an agenda
that might involve some overlap of meetings.  The necessary progress would be impossible if, forexample, there were procedural requirements that minutes had to be prepared before another meeting
could be held, or that no groups could meet simultaneously. Australia appealed to all delegations to
think seriously about their ability to deliver what Ministers wanted, if they were bogged down in
procedure.  Members had to work together to find a procedure whereby they could give effect to the
Doha Declaration fully, transparently and in a balanced way.
124. The representative of Uruguay said that his delegation, like others, attached great importance
to the consultations the Chairman would hold in  January.  The three-year timeframe for the
negotiations agreed in Doha was short, given the enormous amount of work to be done.  What was
most important was that the process not be delayed, and Members should do their utmost to appoint
the Chair of the TNC rapidly.  Regarding the organization of the negotiations, and without prejudiceto Uruguay's position on this matter, he believed that there were perhaps some precedents that
Members had to take into account on a case-by-case basis.  In the area of services, for example,
Ministers at Doha had reaffirmed the guidelines and procedures adopted by the Council for Trade in
Services on 20 March 2001 as the basis for negotiations.  Paragraph 8 of those guidelines clearly
established that the services negotiations would take place in special sessions of the Services Council.One therefore had to look at specific cases, because some organizational issues might already haveWT/GC/M/72
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been settled by decisions taken by Ministers at Doha.  The first session of the TNC on 28 January
would be an extremely important meeting and should establish the structure of the negotiations, the
programme of work and the various chairmanships.
125. The representative of Canada said that his delegation generally concurred with the approach
set out by the Chairman regarding Members' obligations under the work programme, the venue,
timing and officers of the next Ministerial meeting, and the decisions on organization of the TNC
which the General Council would have to take.  Canada also concurred specifically with the four
elements needing urgent attention with respect to the TNC, namely, electing a Chair, agreeing on an
effective structure for the negotiations, choosing the necessary Chairs for the individual negotiating
groups and agreeing on a long-term work programm e.  His delegation also agreed that Members
needed to accomplish these four major tasks quickly, as Ministers had established an ambitious
mandate and timeframe.  There was a lot of important work to do, both procedurally andsubstantively, and not much time in which to do it.  It was also important to send a strong signal at the
start of 2002, just as Ministers had done at the e nd of 2001, that work was starting in an ambitious
way.  In this regard, it might have been useful to have had some informal consultations before the
end-of-year holidays, as this might have indicated delegations' thinking and provided a context for the
consultations in January.  Members should be aware that there was little time to prepare for the TNCmeeting on 28 January, and that they needed to get down to business as quickly as possible.  Canada
welcomed any views or ideas Members might have on the organization of work, and urged all to keep
an open mind on these issues and to respect the constraints of others.
126. There should be no rush to eliminate options, and pragmatism should replace dogmatism.
Members should weigh carefully what the Chairman and others had said regarding smallerdelegations and their capacity to cover all the necessary areas, and take note that this was a real
problem.  This should be done in a way that was not burdensome for the system or for the Secretariat.
Members needed to be fair and realistic, and should consider more options rather than closing doors.
For example, the pros and cons of having just local ambassadors as Chairs should be considered.
There would be two slates of officers in 2002 – one for the existing and regular WTO bodies and onefor the negotiating groups.  Many local ambassadors were extremely busy and a number of them
covered the UN as well as the WTO.  A hybrid mi ght be considered, where local ambassadors could
be encouraged to take Chairs where their help was needed, and where someone from a developing or
developed-country capital could be asked to help on other issues.  A capital-based official might also
have the advantage of being more mobile and in greater contact with other capitals, which might assist
the negotiating process.  Those who were against having capital-based Chairs should explain why,
since accessibility did not seem to be the problem.  He encouraged delegations to remain open whilesharing ideas that would lead to a consensus decision.  At the TNC meeting on 28 January a message
should be sent to Ministers and to the public that the momentum from Doha had been picked up in
Geneva.
127. The representative of Brunei Darussalam, speaking o
n behalf of the ASEAN Members,
expressed these countries' preliminary views on this agenda item.  These countries shared the
Chairman's desire and that of other delegations to work constructively to implement Ministers'
decisions, and welcomed the consultations to be held in preparation for the first meeting of the TNC.
These would no doubt be transparent and inclusive and would take into account Members' views.  The
ASEAN Members had an open mind about the chairmanship of the TNC as well as the structure of
the mandated negotiations.  What was important was that the TNC should come under the authority ofthe General Council, as Ministers had decided.  The Uruguay Round provided a precedent regarding
the TNC chairmanship.  This precedent, as well as the views expressed by delegations, should be
taken into account in arriving at a concensus.  All ASEAN Members had small missions which, in
some cases, had to cover the work of both the WTO and the UN.  Adding the new negotiations to this
would stretch limited resources.  Their preference was therefore for the creation of a limited numberof new negotiating bodies under the TNC.  More important, to enable smaller delegations to
participate effectively in the negotiating process, scheduling several negotiating groups at the sameWT/GC/M/72
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time should be avoided as far as possible.  The ASEAN Members welcomed the Chairman's
suggestion that Deputy Director-General Mr. Rodriguez Mendoza deal with the question of
scheduling of meetings.  An effort should be made not only to minimize overlaps, but to give as much
advance notice as possible, in order to allow smaller delegations to plan ahead in the deployment of
their resources.  Meetings could also be planned in a way that would facilitate the participation ofcapital-based officials.
128. The representative of Zambia said that the aim of Members after Doha, from both developed
and developing countries, should be to prove that the organization listened to the views of its weaker
Members, and that such views formed an integral part of the work programme.  One could not pretend
that the multilateral trading system had been co nsistently advantageous for its poorer Members.
Therefore, as a matter of principle and for the sake of the integrity of the organization, the post-Doha
process should introduce a new leaf in WTO deliberations, such that the poorer Members might atleast have their key views and proposals taken on board. World opinion would eventually begin to
lose confidence in what the WTO did if only one group continually emerged victorious, even when it
was clear that poorer Members deserved a share of the victory.  The LDCs expected that the views
expressed by Tanzania would be taken on board in sincerity in the work programme.
129. The representative of the United States said that while process was important, substance
would be key as Members moved ahead.  Current economic conditions made even more significant
the decision at Doha to start negotiations to further globalize trade.  It was time to turn those
intentions into reality.  Her delegation looked forward to the consultations in early January.  The TNC
meeting on 28 January should select its Chair, establish the appropriate structure, agree on the
appropriate Chairs and outline a work programme.  Members had been successful in their firstopportunity to demonstrate their resolve after Doha, by agreeing to an expanded budget to support the
negotiations.  The next opportunity would come in the next 30 days, as Members took decisions on
the organization of the negotiations.  Her delegation urged all to return in January committed to
working constructively together towards this end, and subsequently towards concluding the
negotiations successfully over the next three years.
130. The representative of Turkey said that the Doha Declaration mandated the General Council to
complete, not later than 1 January 2005, negotiations enumerated in the Declaration.  The first stage
of this task was to establish the infrastructure for the negotiations, i.e. to establish the negotiating
bodies and to appoint their chairpersons.  This first stage should be accomplished quickly so that
substantive work could begin.  To this effect, Turkey supported the Chairman's suggestions and
encouraged him to conduct the necessary consultations so that the TNC could take decisions at its
meeting on 28 January.  Turkey favoured starting the negotiation process with simple structures,keeping the number of negotiating bodies within reasonable and justifiable limits.  As negotiations
evolved, the structures could be diversified as necessary.  Regarding chairpersons, professional
qualities should be the first criteria, and Turkey had an open mind on this.  Chairpersons could be
selected both from Geneva and from capitals.  What was important was to find the right person.
Appointment of vice-chairpersons should also be considered.  His delegation was reflecting on thisand would offer more details during consultations.  Commencement of substantive negotiations
should not be delayed by protracted discussions on establishing negotiating structures and selecting
chairpersons.
131. The representative of Botswana said that Botswana fully associated itself with the statement
by Pakistan.  All were aware of the comprehensive mandate Ministers had decided, and that it had the
potential to tax the capacity of small missions.  Prior to Doha, Botswana had been among the
developing countries which had expressed unease with the creation of additional institutional
structures that were likely to overstretch the capacity of small missions, and that concern remained.
Small missions could only be at one place at a time.  Botswana looked forward to the Chairman's
consultations so that it could contribute to shaping the TNC and the various structures that would becreated under it, in order to best move the negotiati ng process forward.  It shared the views of thoseWT/GC/M/72
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who had said there should be no parallel meetings of negotiating bodies, and welcomed the
Chairman's recognition of the institutional and capacity constraints of small missions.
132. The representative of Honduras said that for Honduras, as for many other recently-acceded
developing countries, mandated negotiations unde r the Doha Declaration could be compared only
with the comprehensiveness of the Uruguay Round negotiations, which meant a titanic job and a greatchallenge for Honduras as a small country.  Honduras had participated in the Uruguay Round
negotiations as an observer, and had therefore not had the opportunity to express its views on
substantive aspects of the mechanics of those negotiations.  Since its accession to the WTO, it had
learned the great importance of an active, constructive, purposeful and opportune participation in the
work of the organization, with the hope of contributing to the perfecting of the system of multilateral
trade rules and to the perfecting of the WTO as the organization administering those rules.  With this
in mind, it had joined other developing countries in presenting for the General Council's considerationits initial ideas on the establishment of the TNC, taking into account the important role this body was
called upon to play.  The TNC should reflect and ensure the fine balance between developing and
developed countries in the negotiating groups.  The measures proposed were intended to promote
transparency within the organization and in the negotiations, ensuring that all Members would be able
to participate in shaping the future of the trading system.  While it was clear that the focus should be
more on substance than process, it was important to have clarity, transparency and confidence in the
processes undertaken, so as to ensure the participation of all Members in discussions on issues of
major interest to them.
133. The representative of St. Lucia said that the post-Doha work programme was overwhelming,
and that institutional structures had to be design ed to facilitate maximum inclusiveness within the
consultative process for both small missions and non-resident Members.  Many of the issues raised by
Pakistan highlighted St. Lucia's concerns.  Her delegation believed there should be minutes of both
formal and informal meetings for the information of delegations who could not attend those meetings,
and observer organizations which could facilitate the participation of developing countries in the
process of the negotiations and which might otherwise be excluded from informal meetings should beallowed to attend them.  The WTO could not be a truly universal organization that created binding
rules subject to dispute settlement, if the consensus principle did not include delegations not present in
Geneva.  St. Lucia appreciated the steps that had been taken to facilitate non-residents' participation in
the process, but the mistakes made during the Uruguay Round should not be repeated.  Thus, the
structure of the negotiations had to facilitate the participation of small missions and non-residents.
Her delegation supported the statement by Barbados regarding small economies and the need to make
the work programme effective, so that all could gain from trade liberalization.
134. The representative of India said that India substantially agreed with the timeframe outlined by
the Chairman and hoped that it could be maintained, given the tremendous burden of work Ministers
had set out.  A group of developing countries had come forward with important proposals on the
manner in which the process should be carried forward, and these proposals should be seen as
constructive.  These suggestions were substantial and many would need to be integrated into theprocess set in motion.  Many delegations had felt that the process leading up to, and at, Doha could
have been better.  His experience at the three most recent Ministerial Conferences had been that the
process for each had been different, and Members should work to establish some certainty and
credibility in that process. An essential element of  transparency was to give the membership a feeling
that the entire process was open and inclusive.  The paper circulated by several developing countrieswas straightforward in identifying elements that coul d be integrated into that process in order to make
it more transparent and systematic.  India urged all delegations to look at these suggestions seriously
and to see how to build them into the system.
135. The representative of Korea said it was important to adhere to the time-frames outlined by the
Chairman and that to do so, Members would need to move fast.  Given the extensive scope of the
negotiations, it was critical to develop an efficient overall work programme and structure toWT/GC/M/72
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accomplish this task within the timeframe.  Kor ea encouraged the Chairman to conduct intensive
informal consultations on the structure of the nego tiations, the chairmanship of the TNC, specific
work programmes and chairmanships of the negotiating groups.  These consultations should be
successfully concluded prior to the first meeting of the TNC.  His delegation would reflect on the
ideas and views expressed and would come back with more concrete ideas in early January.
136. The Chairman, in summing up, said it seemed clear that it would be no small task to launch
effectively the work programme as a whole within a tight timeframe.  Delegations had been
exchanging views on how to do this, and this had led to a good initial exchange of views at the present
meeting.  He hoped that delegations would continue to keep an open mind and respect the diversity of
the membership, and be prepared to show flexibility.  He appealed to all delegations for cooperation
and for respect for others' views.  It was essential to avoid giving the impression that Members in
Geneva were unable to carry out even the initial task set by Ministers, and he hoped that all wouldreflect carefully over the coming holiday period.  The present discussion had been a useful precursor
to the intensive informal consultations he would hold immediately after the holidays.
137. The General Council took note of the statements.
11. Work Programme on Electronic Commerce
138. The Chairman recalled that Ministers at Doha had agreed to continue the Work Programme
on Electronic Commerce, and had instructed the General Council to consider the most appropriate
institutional arrangements for handling the Work Programme and to report on further progress to the
Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference.
139. With regard to future work on e-commerce, he proposed the following elements. First, a
further dedicated discussion on cross-cutting issues would be held under the auspices of the GeneralCouncil early in 2002.  In this connection, he recalled that at the July 2001 meeting of the General
Council, Members had indicated their willingness to continue to focus on e-commerce in a cross-
cutting manner, including through other possible dedicated discussions.  Second, the Chairman of the
General Council would conduct informal consultations with delegations on the most appropriate
institutional arrangements for handling the Work Programme and would report to the General Councilafter the second dedicated discussion on cross-cutting issues.  Third, the General Council would
continue to oversee progress made in the four subsidiary bodies involved in e-commerce, i.e the
sectoral Councils and the Committee on Trade and Development, and would keep future work under
periodic review, as appropriate.
140. The General Council took note of the statement and agreed
 to the Chairman's proposal.
12. Venue of the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference – Communication from Mexico
(WT/GC/55)
141. The Chairman drew attention to the communication from Mexico in document WT/GC/55
containing an offer by its Government to host the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference and, on
behalf of the General Council, expressed appreciation to Mexico for its generous offer.
142. The representative of Mexico recalled that on 23 November his Government had sent a letter
to the Director-General and the General Council Chairman proposing Mexico as the venue for the
next Ministerial Conference.  Mexico had not specified any specific dates, and would agree to
whatever date was decided by the General Council.  Mexico was making this offer because, as a
developing country, it had a special commitment to the agenda of negotiations established in Doha
which was specifically focussed on development, and because it wished to ensure that the
commitments in the Doha Declaration, especially regarding the promotion of development and the
full integration of developing countries into the multilateral trading system, actually came about.WT/GC/M/72
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Mexico also wished to make a contribution to the multilateral trading system and to pay homage to
the benefit it had derived from international trade, and to the enormous support it had derived from
the multilateral trading system in its development process.  A decision on venue needed to be taken
promptly in view of the complexity of organizing such a meeting.  To date, Mexico had had a very
favourable response to its initiative, and wished to thank, in particular, member States of GRULACfor their support.
143. The representatives of Honduras (on behalf of GRULAC), Egypt
, Qatar , United States ,
Kenya, Botswana , Brazil , Israel , Kuwait , European Communities , Canada , Lesotho , Singapore ,
Thailand, Turkey , Morocco , China , India , New Zealand , Australia  and Côte d'Ivoire  supported
Mexico's offer to host the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference and urged a rapid decision on
this matter.
144. The representative of Honduras, speaking on behalf of GRULAC , said that it was time for a
Latin American country to have the opportunity to host a Ministerial Conference, especially in view
of the fact that the next Ministerial Conference would take important decisions regarding the
development agenda established in Doha.
145. The representative of Qatar said that his authorities would put its recent experience in hosting
a Ministerial Conference at Mexico's disposal.  He commended all those who had contributed to
making the Doha Conference a success.
146. The Chairman expressed, on behalf of all Members, appreciation for the tremendous
arrangements and hospitality the Government of Qatar had offered in the course of the recent
Ministerial Conference in Doha.  Qatar's experience with that meeting would be a valuable resource
for the organization as a whole.
147. The representative of the European Communities said that his delegation hoped that the
multiple interventions in support of Mexico's offer would lead to an expeditious decision.
148. The Chairman said that there seemed to be an emerging consensus for the choice of Mexico
as the venue for the next Session of the Ministerial Conference.  He therefore proposed that the
General Council agree that Mexico would be the venue for the Fifth Session of the MinisterialConference.
149. The General Council took note of the statements and so agreed
.
13. Review of the exemption provided under Paragraph 3 of the GATT 1994
150. The Chairman, speaking under "Other Business",  recalled that a review of the exemption
provided under Paragraph 3 of the GATT 1994 was due to have been conducted again in 2001.  As
Members were aware, the General Council had been overloaded with a number of other priority
issues, in particular those relating to preparations for the Fourth Ministerial Conference, and had notbeen able to conduct this review in 2001.  The Gene ral Council would have to revert to this matter in
2002.
151. The General Council took note of the statement.
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