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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  |                   |
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|                                                  | *                 |
|                                                  | *G/SPS/N/GTM/34** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 26 May 2005       |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (05-2153)         |
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|                                                  |                   |
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| **Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary        | Original: Spanish |
| Measures**                                       |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

NOTIFICATION

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| ** | **Member to Agreement notifying:** [GUATEMALA]{.underline}      |
| 1. |                                                                 |
| ** | **If applicable, name of local government involved:**           |
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| ** | **Agency responsible:** Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and  |
| 2. | Food                                                            |
| ** |                                                                 |
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ** | **Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified  |
| 3. | in national schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers       |
| ** | should be provided in addition, where applicable):** Wood       |
|    | packaging material                                              |
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| ** | **Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent     |
| 4. | relevant or practicable:**                                      |
| ** |                                                                 |
|    | Countries trading with Guatemala                                |
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| ** | **Title, language and number of pages of the notified           |
| 5. | document**: Ministerial Agreement No. 2055-2004 of 15 December  |
| ** | 2004. Provisions Governing Wood Packaging Material used in      |
|    | International Trade (12 pages)                                  |
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of content:** The Agreement regulates             |
| 6. | certification of raw coniferous and non-coniferous wood         |
| ** | packaging material with a view to controlling quarantine pests  |
|    | associated therewith, and establishes rules for the             |
|    | registration of natural and legal persons that treat raw wood   |
|    | packaging material used in international trade. The Agreement   |
|    | does not cover wood packaging manufactured entirely from wood   |
|    | products such as plywood, particle board, oriented strand board |
|    | or veneer sheets manufactured using glue, heat and pressure or  |
|    | a combination thereof. Nor does it cover wood packaging such as |
|    | veneer peeler cores (by-products of veneer production),         |
|    | sawdust, wood chips (raw or thinly cut to a thickness of less   |
|    | than six millimetres), wood wool.                               |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | It also sets forth requirements for the registration of natural |
|    | or legal persons that carry out chemical and/or heat treatment  |
|    | on raw wood packaging used in shipments; establishes the period |
|    | of validity of the registration of natural or legal persons;    |
|    | describes the equipment, personal protection gear, materials    |
|    | and plant to be used in chemical (methyl bromide) treatment     |
|    | using fixed chambers and the characteristics thereof; the       |
|    | fumigation equipment and materials (and personal protection     |
|    | gear) to be used in chemical (methyl bromide) treatment using   |
|    | the tent method; technical specifications for chemical          |
|    | treatment and heat treatment; pest families targeted by the     |
|    | treatment; treatment certificate; packaging mark; requirements  |
|    | for recycled, remanufactured or repaired wood packaging; types  |
|    | of packaging; agricultural pesticides; reciprocity under this   |
|    | Agreement; prohibitions and disciplinary measures; transitional |
|    | measures and validity.                                          |
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| ** | **Objective and rationale: \[**   **\] food safety, \[**   **\] |
| 7. | animal health, \[** X **\] plant protection,**                  |
| ** |                                                                 |
|    | **\[**   **\] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, |
|    | \[** X **\] protect territory from other damage from pests**    |
|    |                                                                 |
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| ** | **International standard, guideline or recommendation:**        |
| 8. |                                                                 |
| ** | **\[   \] Codex Alimentarius Commission, \[   \] World          |
|    | Organization for Animal Health (OIE), \[ X \] International     |
|    | Plant Protection Convention, \[   \] None**                     |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | **If an international standard, guideline or recommendation     |
|    | exists, give the appropriate reference and briefly identify     |
|    | deviations:** ISPM No. 15: Guidelines for regulating wood       |
|    | packaging material in international trade.                      |
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| ** | **Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are         |
| 9. | available:** Ministerial Agreement 2055-2004 of 15 December     |
| ** | 2004 (available in Spanish)                                     |
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| *  | **Proposed date of adoption:** Guatemala, 25 January 2005       |
| *1 |                                                                 |
| 0. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| *  | **Proposed date of entry into force:** Guatemala, 26 January    |
| *1 | 2005                                                            |
| 1. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| *  | **Final date for comments:** 60 days after date of notification |
| *1 |                                                                 |
| 2. | **Agency or authority designated to handle comments:            |
| ** | \[** X **\] National notification authority, \[** X **\]        |
|    | National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail       |
|    | address (if available) of other body:**                         |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, Unidad de  |
|    | Políticas e Información Estratégica, Área de Información, 5ª.   |
|    | Avenida 8-06 zona 9, Guatemala City. Tel.: (502) 2361-7786,     |
|    | 2334-1048; Fax: (502) 2361-7783; E-mail:                        |
|    | <informacion.upie@maga.gob.gt>                                  |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | [Enquiry Point]{.underline}:                                    |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | [Contact Person]{.underline}: Gustavo Adolfo Hernández Arreaga  |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | E-mail:                                                         |
|    | [ghernandez@maga.gob.gt](mailto:danielrico@mincomercio.gov.co)  |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, Unidad de  |
|    | Normas y Regulaciones, Oficina de Normas y Procedimientos, 7ª.  |
|    | Avenida 12-90 zona 13, Anexo Edificio Monja Blanca. Fax: (502)  |
|    | 24753058, 2457-3068, 2475-3074; E-mail: <correo@unr.gob.gt>     |
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| *  | **Texts available from: \[** X **\] National notification       |
| *1 | authority, \[** X **\] National enquiry point, or address, fax  |
| 3. | number and E‑mail address (if available) of other body:**       |
| ** |                                                                 |
|    | Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, Unidad de  |
|    | Políticas e Información Estratégica, Área de Información, 5ª.   |
|    | Avenida 8-06 zona 9, Guatemala City.\                           |
|    | Tel.: (502) 2361-7786, 2334-1048; Fax: (502) 2361-7783; E-mail: |
|    | <informacion.upie@maga.gob.gt>                                  |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | [Enquiry Point]{.underline}:                                    |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | [Contact Person]{.underline}: Gustavo Adolfo Hernández Arreaga  |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | E-mail:                                                         |
|    | [ghernandez@maga.gob.gt](mailto:danielrico@mincomercio.gov.co)  |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, Unidad de  |
|    | Normas y Regulaciones, Oficina de Normas y Procedimientos, 7ª.  |
|    | Avenida 12-90 zona 13, Anexo Edificio Monja Blanca. Fax: (502)  |
|    | 24753058, 2457-3068, 2475-3074; E-mail: <correo@unr.gob.gt>     |
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