RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE TCA/M/6
28January 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-0299)
Committee onTrade inCivil Aircraft
MINUTES OFTHE MEETING
HELD ON24NOVEMBER 1997
Chairman: MrHidetaka Saeki (Japan)
1. The Committee onTrade inCivil Aircraft (the"Committee") held ameeting on
24November 1997.
2. TheCommittee adopted thefollowing agenda:
A. Adoption ofthe1997 Annual Report totheGeneral Council
B. Other Business
A. ADOPTION OFTHE 1997 ANNUAL REPORT TOTHE GENERAL COUNCIL
3. TheChairman recalled thatArticle 8.2oftheAgreement onTrade inCivil Aircraft (the
"Agreement") provides that:
[t]heCommittee shallreview annually theimplementation andoperation ofthisAgreement
taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof. TheCommittee shall annually inform the
CONTRACTING PARTIES totheGATT ofdevelopments during theperiod covered bysuch
review."
4. TheChairman noted that,despite thetermination ofGATT 1947, Article IV.8oftheAgreement
Establishing theWTO requires theCommittees onthePlurilateral Trade Agreements, including this
Committee, to"keep theGeneral Council informed oftheiractivities onaregular basis". TheChairman
emphasised thatItem3oftheprocedures adopted bytheGeneral Council inNovember 1995 foran
annual review ofWTO activities andforreporting under theWTO statethat"[t]he Committees on
thePlurilateral Trade Agreements referred toinArticle IV:8oftheWTO Agreement shallbeinvited
toreport annually totheGeneral Council."
5. TheChairman recalled thatadraft report oftheCommittee 'sactivities fortheperiod
November 1996 toNovember 1997 hadbeen circulated forSignatories 'review byfaxon
22October 1997. TheChairman asked whether anydelegation wished tocomment onthedraftreport.
6. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Community commented onparagraph 4ofthedraftreport,
which referred tothepossible suspension ortermination oftheAgreement. Hesuggested theinclusion
ofasentence recording theresults ofinformal consultations undertaken bytheChairman onthissubject,
since these consultations apparently suggested thatthere wasnoconsensus among Signatories forthe
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suspension ortermination oftheAgreement. Alternatively, hesuggested theremoval ofthereference
tosuspension ortermination from thedraftreport.
7. Thedelegate ofCanada asked theChairman toreport ontheinformal consultations referred
tobytheEuropean Community.
8. TheChairman reported thattheSecretariat hadcontacted anumber ofSignatories during
October 1997onhisbehalf, inorder toascertain theirinformal views onthetermination orsuspension
oftheAgreement. Allthese Signatories expressed theiropposition totermination. Some ofthese
Signatories alsoexpressed theiropposition tosuspension oftheAgreement. OneSignatory indicated
thatitcould accept suspension oftheAgreement. TheChairman proposed toinclude theresults of
theinformal consultations inthedraftreport.
9. Inresponse toaquestion from therepresentative ofEgypt, theChairman stated thatfour
Signatories hadbeenconsulted bytheSecretariat onbehalf oftheChairman. Asitwasapparent from
these initial consultations thatthere wasnoconsensus toterminate orsuspend theAgreement, further
consultations withadditional Signatories were notheld.
10. Therepresentative oftheUnited States stated thattheChairman 'sproposal would betaken
under advisement, andthattheUnited States would comment ontheproposal within twodays.
11. Therepresentative ofNorway suggested thatthedraftreport (asamended) could beadopted
adreferendum ,subject tolateracceptance bytheUnited States.
12. TheCommittee adopted thedraftreport (asamended) adreferendum ,subject toacceptance
bytheUnited States.1
B. OTHER BUSINESS
13. Noitems ofOther Business were raised.
14. Themeeting wasadjourned.
__________
1TheUnited States subsequently accepted thedraftreport (asamended). Thereport wascirculated
indocument WT/L/247.