WORLD TRADE WT/L/176
30September 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3874)
Original: English
COMMUNICATION FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OFYUGOSLAVIA
Thefollowing communication fromthePrime Minister oftheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia
hasbeenreceived bytheDirector-General.
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Ihavethehonour towrite toyou,onbehalf oftheGovernment oftheFederal Republic of
Yugoslavia, requesting theregulation ofthemembership oftheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia inthe
World Trade Organization. TheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia deeply respects theroleoftheWorld
Trade Organization intheprocess ofglobalization ofworld economy andinternational trade, aswell
asitssignificance forthedevelopment andgrowth ofworld economy. Forthatreason, myGovernment
considers thecooperation oftheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia withtheWorld Trade Organization
asapriority taskofitsforeign policy.
On16June1993theGATT Council adopted, onthebasisofUnited Nations Security Council
resolution 47/1, thedecision whereby theFederal Republic ofYugoslavia wasdenied theright to
participate intheactivities oftheGATT Council andtheothercommittees andworking bodies ofGATT.
Onthebasisofthementioned decision theTrade Negotiations Committee oftheUruguay Round made
ananalogous decision toexclude theFederal Republic ofYugoslavia from theUruguay Round
negotiations inwhich ithasactively participated since thebeginning ofthenegotiations in1986.
Inviewoftheabove, andbecause ofthecircumstances which itcould notcontrol, theFederal
Republic ofYugoslavia could neither conclude thenegotiations oftheUruguay Round norregulate
by1January 1995 itsmembership intheWorld Trade Organization according toArticle XIofthe
Agreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization.
TheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia hasbeenalways striving forthepeaceful political solution
oftheYugoslav crisis, firmly convinced thatthenegotiations among equal parties istheonlyright
course towards lasting andjustsolution, stabilization anddevelopment forall.Theprincipled and
constructive roleoftheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia hasbeenconfirmed bythepeace agreement
inDayton andinParis. Asasignoftherecognition ofsuchpolicy oftheFederal Republic of
Yugoslavia, on22November 1995 theUnited Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1022 by
which allsanctions imposed against Yugoslavia were suspended.
Inthiscontext, theGovernment oftheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia expresses therequest
toregulate itsmembership intheWorld Trade Organization inviewoftheprovisions ofArticle XII
oftheAgreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization. Atthesame timetheGovernment of
theFederal Republic ofYugoslavia proposes thattheimpossibility toregulate itsmembership according
totheconditions inforce by1January 1996, should beovercome bytheadoption oftheclause of
retroactiveeffect,whichcouldbethesubjectofanagreementbetweentheFederalRepublicofYugoslavia
andtheWorld Trade Organization.
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Iwishtoassure youthattheGovernment oftheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia willwelcome
withpleasure anyconcrete stepaimed atcreating conditions fortheimplementation ofthementioned
proposal, whereby aspeedy reintegration oftheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia intothemultilateral
trade system would beensured. Thiswould significantly contribute toitsdevelopment andthe
establishment ofamodern trade-oriented system towhich wecommitted ourselves longtimeago.