WORLD TRADE WT/L/170
25July1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2941)
SRILANKA -ESTABLISHMENT OFANEW SCHEDULE VI
Extension ofTime-Limit
Decision of18July19961
Considering thattheCONTRACTING PARTIES toGATT 1947, bytheir Decision of
8November 19882,suspended theapplication oftheprovisions ofArticle IIofGATT 1947totheextent
necessary toenable theGovernment ofSriLanka toimplement theHarmonized Commodity Description
andCoding System (Harmonized System) on1January 1989andcarry outnegotiations subsequently;
Taking intoaccount that,bysuccessive Decisions, thetime-limit ofthewaiver granted to
SriLanka hasbeenextended until30June19963.
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 19954theGeneral 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 thatthedocumentation relevant tothetransposition ofSriLanka 'sSchedule
intotheHarmonized System wascirculated indocument SECRET/HS/26 on12January 1990;
./.
1AdoptedinaccordancewiththeDecision-MakingProceduresunderArticlesIXandXIIoftheWTOAgreemen t
agreed bytheGeneral Council (WT/L/93).
2BISD, 35S/22.
3WT/L/120.
4WT/L/3 +Corr.1.WT/L/170
Page2
Considering thattheGovernment ofSriLanka hasinitiated Article XXVIII negotiations with
fourMembers, buthasbeenunable toconclude them because ofthesevere constraints inobtaining
andcoordinating responses fromtherelevant SriLankan authorities asaresult ofthesecurity situation
inthecountry;
Noting alsothatthecontinuously rising prices ofmilkpowder which isoneoftheimportant
products figuring inthese negotiations hascompelled thegovernment toreview itspolicy towards
imports;
Considering thattheabove hasbecome anextremely sensitive political issue, theGovernment
ofSriLanka willfinditdifficult toconclude negotiations before 30June1996, butthattheGovernment
ofSriLanka hasprovided theassurance thatwithin theperiod oftherequested extension thenegotiations
willbefinalized tothesatisfaction ofallMembers concerned;
Considering thattheGovernment ofSriLanka, having fulfilled therequirements ofparagraph 1
oftheUnderstanding inRespect ofWaivers ofObligations under theGATT 1994, hasrequested a
further extension oftheexemption ofitsobligations under Article IIofGATT 19945;
TheGeneral Council, acting pursuant totheprovisions ofArticle IXoftheWTO Agreement,
Decides, inviewoftheexceptional circumstances outlined above, toextend thewaiver granted
toSriLanka bytheDecision of8November 1988, until30April 1997.
5G/L/83.