RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/STR/Q1/TUN/2
7February 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-0461)
Original: English Working Party onState Trading Enterprises
Questions posed bytheUNITED STATES
concerning theArticle XVIII notification of
TUNISIA1
Thefollowing communication, dated 4February 1997, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission oftheUnited States.
_______________
Weappreciate Tunisia ’sinitial notification ofitsStateTrading Enterprises (STE) assubmitted
inG/STR/N/1/TUN. However, wearedisappointed withtheincomplete answers andgeneral lack
ofinformation provided byTunisia concerning themajority oftheSTEs thatwere notified inthis
document. While theinformation submitted inthisnotification ishelpful, wewould appreciate ifTunisia
could provide more detailed responses tothefollowing questions foreachofitsnotified STEs: the
Tunisian Trade Board, theTunisian Central Pharmacy (PCT), thePasteur Institute ofTunis (IPT),
theGrain Board, theNational Edible OilsBoard, theNational Alcohol Agency (RNA), theNational
Tobacco andMatches Agency (RNTA), theTunisian Refining Industries Corporation, andtheTunisian
Petroleum Enterprise (ETAP).
Underthereportingrequirementfor“reasonandpurpose”foreachSTEthatTunisiahasnotified
inthisdocument, Tunisia provides onlyaverygeneral response thatdescribes theoverall responsibilities
ofthese enterprises. While thisinformation isuseful, could Tunisia please describe more specifically
thereason orpurpose forintroducing ormaintaining eachofitsnotified statetrading enterprises and
adescription ofthefunctioning ofeachofthese State Trading Enterprises? Doanyofthese boards
allow aportion oftrade tobehandled byprivate importers? Ifnot,could Tunisia provide arationale
forrestricting trade tothese STEs only?
Could Tunisia provide further details onhowimport andexport prices aredetermined? In
thecaseofimports, please describe therelationship ofimport prices toresale values, including
calculations ofrepresentative purchase andsalesprices, aswellasrepresentative management costs?
1G/STR/N/1/TUN.