. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/L/359
19 June 2000
(00-2436)
Original:  English
INTERNATIONAL TEXTILES AND CLOTHING BUREAU
Thirty-First Session of the Council of Representatives
Guatemala, 29 May-1 June 2000
Communication from Hong Kong, China
The following Communiqué from the above-mentioned meeting held in Guatemala has been
received from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office with the request that it be circulated to
delegations.
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GUATEMALA COMMUNIQUE
1. The ITCB1 Council of Representatives, meeting at its 31st Session, categorically rejected
attempts by some importing developed countries to demand additional market access concessions
from developing countries as a condition to fully comply with their obligations under the Agreement
on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) of the World Trad e Organization (WTO). These importing developed
countries should live up to their commitments under the ATC and act in accordance with the
provisions therein.
2. In this regard, the Council reaffirmed that the full integration of the textiles and clothing
sector into GATT 1994 shall be achieved by the end of the year 2004.
3. The Council highlighted its commitment to maintain vigilance and coordinate actions against
attempts by importing developed countries to impose new conditionalities through bilateral and
preferential arrangements, or other means, that result in trade restrictions and disguised protectionism.
4. The Council believed that, besides being a legal obligation under the ATC, the third stage of
integration is an essential component of the confidence building process currently underway in theWTO in terms of sustaining the confidence of developing countries in the Organization. It will
therefore consider and take concrete steps to influence this exercise so that it results in the elimination
of quotas and in growth in trade, thereby prov iding real economic benefits to exporters and
consumers.
5. Furthermore, the Council urged importing developed countries to ensure that at least
50 per cent of the volume of 1990 imports of products that were under specific quota limits are
liberalized by 1 January 2002. In this regard, it also stressed the importance of full compliance with
                                                     
1 The ITCB Members are:  Argentina; Bangladesh; Brazil; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Egypt;
El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras; Hong Kong, China; India; Indonesia; Republic of Korea; DPR of Korea;
Macau, China; Maldives; Mexico; Pakistan; Paraguay; Peru; Sri Lanka; Thailand and Uruguay.WT/L/359
Page 2
the provision contained in Article 1.2 of the ATC to provide meaningful increases in access
possibilities for small suppliers and least developed countries.
6. The Council analyzed the results of its ac tions in preparation for and during the 3rd Ministerial
Conference of the WTO as well as the outlook for the special session on implementation under the
WTO General Council. It considered the success of th is mechanism to be critical to the confidence of
developing countries in the ability of the WTO to respond to their genuine concerns. The Council
decided to present its views and make appropriate submissions to the General Council.
7. The Council further decided to continue evaluating the most appropriate actions to be taken in
the future, taking into account current trends in trade in textiles and clothing and evolving
developments in the multilateral trading system. These include the second major review of ATC
implementation and the preparation for the 4th Ministerial Conference of the WTO.
8. The Council initiated an analysis of possible scenarios beyond ATC implementation in the
markets of importing developed countries, highlighting its concerns over such issues as anti-dumping,
safeguards and tariffs as well as environmental, labeling and other emerging requirements.
9. The presentations and discussions with representatives of importers’ associations from the
United States and Europe on various forms of protectionism, its costs and developments on world
markets proved extremely valuable in understanding the challenges ahead.
10. The presence of the Chairman of the Textiles Monitoring Body of the WTO and
representatives of WTO, UNCTAD and the ITC was highly appreciated and their presentations
resulted in very useful exchanges.
11. The Council granted observer status to Vietnam and expressed the hope that it would soon
become a member of the ITCB.
12. The Council of Representatives of ITCB expressed its profound gratitude to the Government
of Guatemala for hosting the 31st session in Guatemala City from 29 May to 1 June 2000.
H.E. Mr. Eduardo Weyman, Minister of Econom y of Guatemala, inaugurated the session.
Mr. Stuart Harbinson of Hong Kong, China, was elected Chairman and Mr. Marco Antonio Ventura,
Vice-Minister of Economy of Guatemala and Mr. William Ehlers of Uruguay were elected as
Vice-Chairmen of the session.
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