WORLD TRADE WT/L/86
15September 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-2693)
SRILANKA -ESTABLISHMENT OFANEW SCHEDULE VI
Extension ofTime-Limit
Decision of31August 19951
Considering thattheCONTRACTING PARTIES toGATT 1947, bytheir Decision of
8November 19882andsuccessive Decisions, suspended theapplication oftheprovisions ofArticle II
ofGATT 1947 totheextent necessary toenable theGovernment ofSriLanka toimplement the
Harmonized Commodity Description andCoding System (Harmonized System) on1January 1989
andcarry outnegotiations subsequently;
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
toSriLanka fortheestablishment ofanewSchedule VI;
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;
Taking intoaccount thattherelevant Harmonized System documentation necessary forthe
renegotiations under Article XXVIII hasbeen circulated tocontracting parties with document
SECRET/HS/26 on12January 1990;
Considering thattheGovernment ofSriLanka hasinitiated Article XXVIII negotiations with
Australia,NewZealand,theUnitedStatesandtheEuropeanUnion,andthatithasprovidedtheassurance
ofmaking itsbestefforts toconclude thenegotiations inthenexttwomonths;
./.
1TheDecision wasadopted bypostal ballot. There were 83votes infavour andnoneagainst.
2BISD 35S/22.
3WT/L/3 andCorr.1.WT/L/86
Page2
Considering thattheGovernment ofSriLanka, having fulfilled therequirements ofparagraph 1
oftheUnderstanding inRespect ofWaivers ofObligations under theGATT 1994, hasrequested a
further extension oftheexemption ofitsobligations under Article IIofGATT 1994 until
31December 19954;
TheGeneral Council, acting pursuant totheprovisions ofArticle IXoftheWTO Agreement,
Decides, inviewoftheexceptional circumstances outlined above, toextend thewaiver granted
toSriLanka bytheDecision of8November 1988, until31December 1995.
4G/L/10.