RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGBT/17
8May 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-1844)
Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications
REPORT ONTHE MEETING OF30APRIL 1996
1. TheNegotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications helditsseventeenth andfinalmeeting
on30April 1996. Theagenda forthemeeting wascontained inairgram WTO/AIR/320 of
24April 1996.
2. TheChairman invited theDirector General tointroduce theproposal hehadmade ataprevious
informal meeting concerning thedraftFourth Protocol totheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices
andthedraftDecision onCommitments inBasic Telecommunications. TheDirector-General stated
thathehadthree objectives inmind inmaking hisproposal: first,topreserve, asfaraspossible, the
results achieved sofar,evenifthesecould notbefinalized atthistime; second, topreserve theeconomic
value ofthenegotiation bymaintaining theimplementation dateof1January 1998; andthird, toprovide
flexibility within thattime-frame byallowing aperiod ofonemonth during which itwould bepossible
tore-examine theposition andtosupplement ormodify thedraftschedules astheynowstood. Inso
doing, heexpressed hishopeandexpectation thatthiswould permit improvements intheexisting offers.
Furthermore, hesuggested thatitshould beashared objective ofMembers oftheGroup topreserve
andwherever possible toimprove upon whathadbeenachieved already. Thebasis onwhich heput
forward thisproposal wasthatthebestoffers nowonthetablewould bemaintained and,asitwere,
frozen untiltheperiod ofreconsideration intheSpring ofnextyear. However, herecognized that
hecould notdictate thecontent ofanycountry 'soffer, orprevent anyparticipant from removing an
offer altogether.
3. TheDirector-General saidheunderstood thatthecountries which hadbeencontemplating the
addition oflanguage relating tocompetitive conditions, which hadbeenverycontroversial inthepast
fewdays, haddecided nottoinsert suchlanguage. Consultations onthismatter would nodoubt have
togoon,butalonger timeframe toreach acommon understanding wasnowavailable. Finally, the
Director-General proposed thatparagraph 2ofthedraftProtocol, which provided fortheperiod for
reconsideration, should beplaced intheDecision rather thantheProtocol. Indoing so,heemphasized
thatitwastheconsidered view oftheSecretariat thattoplace thisprovision intheDecision rather
thantheProtocol made nolegaldifference; therighttosupplement ormodify schedules during the
reconsideration period would ineither casebeguaranteed.
4. Indiscussion oftherevised draftProtocol andthedraftDecision oftheCouncil, theGroup
agreed upon thetransfer ofthisparagraph from theProtocol totheDecision andupon certain other
modifications tothetexts, notably onthedates of15January to15February forthereconsideration
period.
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Page2
5. With regard tothepresentation ofdraft finalschedules andofneworrevised offers, the
Chairman announced thatColombia hadsubmitted anewoffer, bringing thetotalnumber ofdraftoffers
tothirty-four.1Inaddition, Côted'Ivoire, Pakistan, theDominican Republic, Poland, Hong Kong,
Switzerland, andIndia hadsubmitted revisions totheirdraftoffers. Thenumber ofrevised offers was
nowtwenty-one. Finally, Brazil, Côted'Ivoire, Switzerland andVenezuela hadindicated thattheir
offers weretobeconsidered asfinalschedules. Thefollowing delegations announced theirintention
tosubmit further revisions: Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Morocco, Mexico, theEuropean Union
anditsMember States, Singapore, NewZealand, theUnited States, Norway, Iceland, Japan, Argentina,
PeruandHungary.RegardingparticipationandobservershipintheNegotiatingGroupatitslastmeeting,
thenumber offullparticipants reached thirty-nine2,while thenumber ofparticipants withobserver
status stood attwenty-four3.
6. Inconcluding itsfinalmeeting, theNegotiating Group agreed toforward totheCouncil for
Trade inServices theReport oftheNegotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications (S/NGBT/18)
andtheattached listoftheSchedules ofCommitments andLists ofArticle IIExemptions, together
withthetextoftheFourth Protocol totheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices andadraftDecision
onCommitments inBasic Telecommunications. Finally, theGroup expressed itswarm appreciation
oftheleadership ofitsChairman, Mr.NeilMcMillan, andofhispersonal contribution toitswork.
1Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Côted'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the
European Communities anditsMember States, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco,
New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, thePhilippines, Poland, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, theUnited
States and Venezuela.
2Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Côted'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, theCzech Republic, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Egypt, theEuropean Communities andtheirMember States (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom), Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Japan,
Korea,Mauritius,Mexico,Morocco,NewZealand,Norway,Pakistan,Peru,thePhilippines,Poland,Singapore,SlovakRepublic,Switzerland,
Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, theUnited States andVenezuela.
3Bolivia, Bulgaria, Brunei Darussalam, theRepublic ofChina, Chinese Taipei, Costa Rica, ElSalvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia,
Jamaica, Latvia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, South Africa,
Trinidad &Tobago, United Arab Emirates, andUruguay.