RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/BOP/18
17  September 1998
(98-3538)
Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions Original:  English
SIMPLIFIED CONSULTATIONS ON BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS
RESTRICTIONS WITH BANGLADESH
The following request has been received from the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the
WTO.  It is being circulated to members of the Committee and will be considered under "OtherBusiness" on 29 September, following the adoption of the conclusions on the Consultations with
Bulgaria.
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1. The WTO Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions held its last simplified
consultations with Bangladesh on 2 May 1997.  It was suggested in this meeting that there should be
full consultations with Bangladesh at a time no later than May 1999.  Accordingly, the Government of
Bangladesh was alerted by this Mission to make adequate preparation for the event.
2. Recent unprecedented floods in Bangladesh have hurt the economy of the country to a level,
where it is being felt that Bangladesh, inter alia , may need a further period of simplified consultations
before it would be ready to face the rigours of a full consultation exercise.  On behalf of the
Government of Bangladesh, this Mission, therefore, requests a postponement of the planned full
consultations for at least two more years.
3. The fragile economy of Bangladesh has been further weakened by huge losses, caused by the
floods, in infrastructure and food crops;  food crops still remain the economic backbone of the
country.  In such a backdrop, the Government of Bangladesh would be compelled to attend to these
latest economic difficulties on a full-time basis, and may have to resort to extraordinary interventionsin the fiscal and financial fields to put the economy back on its normal keel.
4. In these circumstances, it is requested that the Committee give priority consideration to
Bangladesh's request for a delay of full consultations.  We suggest that full consultations take place
sometime in the year 2000.  The Government of Bangladesh, however, remains ready for a round of
simplified consultations in 1999.
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