WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/DS121/5
30 March 1999
(99-1300)
Original: English
ARGENTINA – SAFEGUARD MEASURES ON IMPORTS OF FOOTWEAR
Communication from the Chairman of the Panel
The following communication, dated 26 March 1999, addressed to the Dispute Settlement
Body, is circulated in accordance with Article12.9 of the DSU.
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Article 12.8 of the DSU stipulates that the period in which a panel shall conduct its
examination, from the date that the composition and terms of reference of the panel have been agreed
upon until the date that the final report is issued to the parties shall, as a general rule, not exceed six
months.
Article 12.9 of the DSU states that when a panel considers that it cannot issue its report within
six months, it shall inform the Dispute Settlement B ody (DSB) in writing of the reasons for the delay,
together with an estimate of the period within which it will issue its report
The Panel on “Argentina – Safeguard Measures on Imports of Footwear" was established by
the DSB on 23 July 1998 to examine a complaint from the European Communities.
The Panel was composed on 15 September 1998.  However, the Panel is not able to complete
its work in six months due in part to extensions to the timetable jointly requested by the Parties, as
well as the number of issues that must be considered and the volume of the submissions to the Panel.
The Panel expects to circulate the final report to the parties by the end of May 1999.
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