WORLD TRADE WT/DS58/6
10January 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-0128)
Original: English
UNITED STATES -IMPORT PROHIBITION OFCERTAIN SHRIMP
AND SHRIMP PRODUCTS
Request fortheEstablishment ofaPanel byMalaysia andThailand
Thefollowing communication, dated 9January 1997, fromthePermanent Missions ofMalaysia
andThailand tothePermanent Mission oftheUnited States andtotheDispute Settlement Body, is
circulated attherequest ofthese delegations.
_______________
Throughaseriesofactions,includingenactmentofSection609ofPublicLaw101-162amending
theEndangered Species Actof1973, 16U.S.C. §1531etseq.,promulgation ofregulations andissuance
ofjudicial decisions interpreting thelawandregulations, theGovernment oftheUnited States has
implemented apartial embargo ontheimportation ofcertain shrimp andshrimp products which is
inconsistent withitsobligations under theAgreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization (WTO
Agreement) including theGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 (“GATT ”).Specifically,
theembargo isinconsistent withatleastthefollowing threeGATT obligations: (1)theproviso contained
inArticle XI:1thatnocontracting party willimpose prohibitions orrestrictions onimports through
quotas, licenses orother measures; (2)themost-favoured-nation principle embodied inArticle I:1;
and(3)theproviso contained inArticle XIII:1 thatallallowable prohibitions orrestrictions onimports
must beapplied inanon-discriminatory manner.
Inaneffort toresolve these matters andpursuant toArticle 4oftheUnderstanding onRules
andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes (“DSU”)andArticle XXII:1 oftheGATT, on
October 8,1996, theGovernments ofIndia, Malaysia, Pakistan andThailand requested consultations
withtheUnited States (WT/DS58/1). Thereafter, consultations wereconducted on19November 1996,
inGeneva, andsubsequent letters were exchanged regarding points requiring further clarification.
However, theparticipants failed toreach anunderstanding during theconsultations.
Consequently,pursuanttoArticleXXIIIoftheGATT,theGovernmentsofMalaysiaandThailand
respecfully request thatapanel beestablished tosettle thisdispute inaccordance withArticle 6ofthe
DSU, withthestandard terms ofreference referred toinArticle 7oftheDSU.
Theestablished panel would thenberequested tofind,interalia,that:
(i) through thelawsandregulations oftheUnited States referred toabove, theGovernment
oftheUnited States hasfailed tocarry outitsobligations andcommitments under several provisions
oftheWTO Agreement, including butnotlimited toArticle XI,Article IandArticle XIIIoftheGATT;
(ii) suchfailure isnotjustified byanyprovision ofthesaidagreements, including the
exceptions setforth inArticle XXoftheGATT; and
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(iii) suchfailure nullifies andimpairs benefits accruing toMalaysia andThailand under
theGATT andWTO Agreement.
Pursuant toArticle 6.1oftheDSU, theGovernments ofMalaysia andThailand respectfully
request thattheforegoing request forestablishment ofapanel beplaced ontheagenda ofthemeeting
oftheDispute Settlement Body scheduled tobeheldon22January 1997.