WORLD TRADE WT/DS13/4
7January 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-0010)
Original: English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -DUTIES ONIMPORTS OFGRAINS
Communication from theUnited States
Thefollowing communication, dated 20December 1996, fromthePermanent Mission ofthe
United States tothePermanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission andtotheDispute Settlement
Body, iscirculated attherequest oftheUnited States.
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Iamwriting tocorrect amisimpression which mayhavebeenconveyed todelegations bya
communication from theEuropean Communities circulated asdocument WT/DS13/3, dated
2December 1996 butcirculated on4December 1996.
Thecommunication inquestion stated thatthedispute which wastheobject ofapanel request
bytheUnited States on"European Communities -Duties onImports ofGrains" (WT/DS13/2) had
beensettled through anexchange ofletters between theUnited States andtheCommunities. The
statement wasincorrect. Theexchange ofletters referred toprovided anumber ofundertakings on
thepartoftheCommunities, tobecarried outbytheECCommission. Italsostated thattheUnited
States would withdraw its1995 panel request, andwould notreintroduce thatrequest "provided that
there iseffective implementation oftheprovisions ofthisAgreement".
TheUnited States reintroduced itsrequest byacommunication of21November 1996 tothe
Permanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission andtheDispute Settlement Body, which was
circulated asdocument WT/DS13/2/Add.1. Thisaction wastaken because almost oneyearafterthe
initialling oftheagreement inquestion andfivemonths aftercompletion ofsignature formalities, the
Communities hadnotyetimplemented thecommitments inthatagreement. Recent discussions with
theCommunities persuaded myauthorities torequest thatthisitembewithdrawn fromtheagenda of
the3December meeting oftheDSB. However, theUnited States reserves therighttoreintroduce
therequest intheevent thattheCommunities continue tofailtoimplement those commitments.