RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/C/W/25
22November 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3835)
COUNCIL FOR TRADE INGOODS
1December 1995
GUATEMALA -ESTABLISHMENT OFANEW SCHEDULE LXXXVIII
Draft Decision onExtension ofTime-Limit
Considering that,byaDecision of26January 19941,theCONTRACTING PARTIES to
GATT 1947 suspended application oftheprovisions ofArticle IIofGATT 1947 toenable the
Government ofGuatemala tocarry outtheprocess oftransposition oftheconcessions setforth in
Schedule LXXXVIII intotheHarmonized Commodity Nomenclature;
Taking intoaccount thatbysuccessive Decisions, thetime-limit ofthewaiver granted to
Guatemala hasbeenextended until31December 19952;
TakingintoaccountthatGuatemala'snewCustomsTariffbasedontheHarmonizedCommodity
Description andCoding System came intoforce on1March 1993, andreplaces theCentral American
Uniform Tariff Nomenclature;
Considering thatthefootnote toAnnex IA,Section onGATT 1994, subparagraph 1(b)(iii)
oftheAgreement establishing theWorld Trade Organization requires theMinisterial Conference to
establish atitsfirstsession arevised listofwaivers granted under Article XXV ofGATT 1947 and
stillinforce onthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement;
Considering thatbyaDecision of31January 19953theGeneral Council established alistof
waivers existing attheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, which included thewaiver granted
toGuatemala fortheestablishment ofanewSchedule LXXXVIII;
Considering thatparagraph 2oftheUnderstanding inRespect ofWaivers ofObligations under
theGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 provides thatanywaiver ineffect onthedateof
entryintoforceoftheWTOAgreementshallterminateunlessextendedinaccordancewiththeprocedures
setoutinparagraph 1oftheaforementioned Understanding andthose ofArticle IXofthe
WTO Agreement onthedateofitsexpiry ortwoyears from thedateofentry intoforce ofthe
WTO Agreement, whichever isearlier;
Considering thatinorder toimplement theprocedures established bytheCouncil Decision
of12July1983 fortherectification andrenegotiation oftheschedules ofconcessions negotiated in
GATT under theHarmonized System andtoholdconsultations under Article XXVIII, andconsidering
1L/7405.
2WT/L/81.
3WT/L/3 andCorr.1.
./.G/C/W/25
Page2
thatthenecessary documentation fortheholding oftheconsultations hasbeensubmitted andwillbe
circulatedindocumentG/SECRET/HS/7,theGovernmentofGuatemala,havingfulfilledtherequirements
ofparagraph 1oftheUnderstanding inRespect ofWaivers ofObligations under theGATT 1994, has
requested afurther extension ofthewaiver ofitsobligations under Article IIoftheGATT 1994until
30June19964;
TheGeneral Council, acting pursuant totheprovisions ofArticle IXoftheWTO Agreement,
Decides, inviewoftheexceptional circumstances outlined above, toextend thewaiver granted
toGuatemala bytheDecision of26January 1994 until30June1996.
4G/L/44.