RESTRICTED
GENERAL AGREEMENT TS/NGBT/2
27July1994
ONTRADE INSERVICES
(94-1541)
Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications
REPORT OFTHE MEETING OF11JULY 1994
1. TheNegotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications helditssecond meeting on11July1994
under thechairmanship ofMrNeilMcMillan. Theagenda ofthemeeting wascontained inPC/AIR/10
of4July1994.
2. Since thelastmeeting oftheGroup, twoadditional countries announced theirintention to
participate inthenegotiations. Thisbrought thetotalnumber ofparticipants to22,consisting of
Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Cyprus, theEuropean Communities andtheirMember States,
Egypt, Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, NewZealand, Norway, the
Slovak Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, andtheUnited States.
3. Agreement hadbeenreached since thelastmeeting regarding observer status formembers
oftheSub-Committee onServices which havenotyetnotified theirintention toparticipate inthe
negotiations. TheChairman oftheNegotiating Group recalled thatitwasagreed thatsuchobservers
willbeentitled toattend formal meetings oftheGroup andtoreceive documents prepared fortheGroup
bytheSecretariat; thattheywillnottakepartindecisions taken bytheGroup andwillbeentitled to
speak onlyuponinvitation bytheChairman, normally attheconclusion ofinterventions byparticipants
(seePC/SCS/1 of30June1994). The17delegations present atthismeeting inthecapacity ofobservers
wereBrazil, Costa Rica, theCzech Republic, ElSalvador, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel,
Jamaica, Madagascar, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia andVenezuela.
4. Thefirstagenda itemwastheconsideration ofrequests forobserver status byinternational
organizations. TheChairman recalled thatatthelastmeeting itwasagreed thatapplications forobserver
status from international organizations would beconsidered ontheirmerits onacase-by-case basis.
Heannounced thatrequests forobserver status hadbeen received from three organizations: the
InternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU),theUnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopment
(UNCTAD) andtheAsiaPacific Telecommunity (APT) andinvited comments from delegations on
whether toaccept these applications. Some representatives noted thatthere hadbeen aprecedent
established during theUruguay Round intheGroup ofNegotiations onServices whereby organizations
withlimited orregional membership, rather thanuniversal membership, were notnormally granted
observer status. They were oftheviewthatitmight beappropriate tofollow thisprecedent. Other
representatives expressed theviewthatdecisions onobserver status should nowbemade, asagreed,
withreference tothemerits oftheorganization concerned, without necessarily respecting precedent.
5. Having heard noobjections totheapplications oftheITUandUNCTAD, theChairman
concluded thatthese organizations 'requests forobserver status were granted. Regarding theAPT,
theChairman tooknoteoftheconcerns expressed andindicated thathewould consult informally with
delegations withaview toreconsidering theapplication atthenextmeeting oftheGroup.
./.TS/NGBT/2
Page2
6. Thenextagenda itemwasconsideration ofthedraftquestionnaire onbasictelecommunications,
covering competition andregulatory issues. TheChairman saidthat,asagreed atthelastmeeting,
theSecretariat hadprepared adraftquestionnaire inconsultation withdelegations. Herecalled that
theobjective ofthequestionnaire wastofacilitate anexchange ofinformation among participants on
thedetails oftheirtelecommunications regimes andwasinnowayintended toprejudice theposition
ofanyparticipant regarding thefinaloutcome ofnegotiations oncommitments. Inresponse tothe
Chairman 'sinvitation forcomments onthequestionnaire, some representatives stated thattheywere
inaposition toaccept thequestionnaire asfinal intheform inwhich itwaspresented. Afew
representatives offered suggestions onthedrafting ofparticular questions. Asthedrafting suggestions
proposed wereacceptable totheGroup, theChairman concluded thattheSecretariat would nowfinalize
thequestionnaire andissue itshortly asaformal document oftheGroup.
7. Atthesuggestion ofanumber ofparticipants, theChairman indicated thatobservers aswell
asparticipants inthenegotiations would beinvited tosubmit responses tothequestionnaire. Some
observers noted thattheytookapositive viewofthisproposal, butthatreplies fromobservers should
notbeobligatory.
8. Ontheagenda itemconcerning organization offuture work, theChairman proposed todevote
thenextmeeting oftheGroup toanexchange ofinformation onquestionnaire responses andtothe
initiation ofsubstantive discussions onoutstanding technical andconceptual issues. During theexchange
ofinformation,henotedthatparticipantswouldhavetheopportunitytoaskquestionsseekingclarification
oradditionalinformationconcerningdetailsprovidedintheresponses.Regardingsubstantivediscussions,
hedrew attention totheNotebytheSecretariat, Review ofOutstanding Issues(TS/NGBT/W/2 of8
July1994). Heproposed thattheNoteserve asabasisfordiscussion atthenextmeeting. TheGroup
agreed tothese proposals.
9. TheChairman suggested further thattheGroup could expect toholdatleasttwomeetings before
theendoftheyear, butthatafinaldecision onthenumber ofmeetings, andontheagenda ofany
subsequent meetings, didnotbetobefinalized now. Heexpressed ahopethattheGroup would be
inaposition tobegin tosponsor sessions ofbilateral negotiations oncommitments atleastoneyear
prior tothedeadline forconclusion oftheGroup 'swork inApril 1996.
10. Regarding dates offuture meetings oftheGroup, heproposed anditwasagreed thatthenext
meeting oftheGroup would begin inthelastweek ofOctober 1994 andthattwo,andpossibly three,
dayswould beallotted atthattime. Heindicated thatinorder forresponses toquestionnaires tobe
available intimeforthatmeeting, participants would needtoforward theirreplies totheSecretariat
bymid-September.