RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/C/W/30
22November 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3820)
COUNCIL FOR TRADE INGOODS
1December 1995
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO -ESTABLISHMENT OFANEW SCHEDULE LXVII
Draft Decision onExtension ofTime-Limit
Considering thattheCONTRACTING PARTIES toGATT 1947, bytheir Decision of
20August 19931,suspended theapplication oftheprovisions ofArticle IIofGATT 1947totheextent
necessary toenable theGovernment oftheRepublic ofTrinidad andTobago torenegotiate itsSchedule
andtotranspose itintotheHarmonized Commodity Description andCoding System (Harmonized
System);
Takingintoaccountthat,bysuccessiveDecisions,thetime-limitofthewaivergrantedtoTrinidad
andTobago hasbeenextended until31December 19952.
Considering thatthefootnote toAnnex IA,Section onGATT 1994, sub-paragraph 1(b)(iii)
oftheAgreement establishing theWorld Trade Organization requires theMinisterial Conference to
establish atitsfirstsession arevised listofwaivers granted under Article XXV ofGATT 1947 and
stillinforce onthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement;
Considering thatbyaDecision of31January 19953theGeneral Council established alistof
waivers existing attheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, which included thewaiver granted
toTrinidad andTobago fortheestablishment ofanewSchedule LXVII;
Considering thatparagraph 2oftheUnderstanding inRespect ofWaivers ofObligations under
theGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 provides thatanywaiver ineffect onthedateof
entryintoforceoftheWTOAgreementshallterminateunlessextendedinaccordancewiththeprocedures
setoutinparagraph 1oftheaforementioned Understanding andthose ofArticle IXoftheWTO
Agreement onthedateofitsexpiry ortwoyears from thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement, whichever isearlier;
Noting thatthedocumentation relevant tothetransposition ofTrinidad andTobago 'sSchedule
intotheHarmonized System wassubmitted on28August 1995, andwascirculated indocument
G/SECRET/HS/4 dated 1September 1995;
1L/7290.
2WT/L/87.
3WT/L/3 +Corr.1.
./.G/C/W/30
Page2
Noting thattheninety-day period torequest consultations ornegotiations withTrinidad and
Tobago hasnotelapsed andthatitwillbedifficult fortheGovernment ofTrinidad andTobago tocarry
outandconclude negotiations before 31December 1995, incaseofreceipt ofsuchrequests;
Taking intoaccount thattheGovernment ofTrinidad andTobago, having fulfilled the
requirements ofparagraph 1oftheUnderstanding inRespect ofWaivers ofObligations under the
GATT 1994, hasrequested anextension ofitswaiver until30June19964;
TheGeneral Council, acting pursuant totheprovisions ofArticle IXoftheWTO Agreement,
Decides, inviewoftheexceptional circumstances outlined above, toextend thewaiver granted
toTrinidad andTobago bytheDecision of20August 1993, until30June1996.
4G/L/49.