. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TMB/R/68
11 October 2000
(00-4168)
Textiles Monitoring Body
REPORT OF THE SIXTY-NINTH MEETING
1. The Textiles Monitoring Body held its sixty-ninth meeting on 13 September 2000.
2. Mr. Ho-Young Ahn (Korea) appointed Mr. John C.Y. Leung (Hong Kong, China) to replace
Mr. Stephen Chung as his first alternate.
3. Present at this meeting were the following members and/or alternates: Messrs. Babajide;
Karapinar/Pospís ˇil; Kumar; Kobayashi; Leung; Moroz; Nayyar; Tadpitakkul; Tagliani;
Valencia/Lunazzi.
4. The TMB adopted the report of its sixty-eighth meeting (G/TMB/R/67).
Notification under Article 6.1 of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC)
5. The TMB took note of the notification made pursuant to Article 6.1 by Latvia that it wished
to retain the right to use the transitional safe guard provided for in Article 6.1 (G/TMB/N/353).
Notifications under Articles 2.6 and 2.7(b), as well as 2.8(a) and 2.11 of the ATC
6. The TMB reviewed, pursuant to Article 2.21, the notifications made under Articles 2.6 and
2.7(b), as well as under Articles 2.8(a) and 2.11, by Latvia (G/TMB/N/354 and G/TMB/N/355).
During this review the TMB noted that, in accordance with Articles 2.6 and 2.8(a), the products
integrated in each integration programme included products from the four groups: tops and yarns,
fabrics, made-up textile products, and clothing.  The TMB also noted that both integration
programmes were based on import data for 1994, as, according to Latvia, this was the first full
statistical year for which data were available on the basis of the Harmonized Commodity Description
and Coding System (HS).   The TMB observed that the integration programme for the first stage
included some products belonging to those HS lines in the Annex to the ATC for which only part of
the respective lines ("ex-HS lines") fell under the coverage of the Agreement, whereas this was not
the case for the integration programme of the second stage.  The TMB also observed that in thesecond stage integration programme two products integrated at the HS 8-digit level were also
integrated at the 6-digit level, the respective impor ts for those products being counted twice.  The
TMB further observed, however, that even if the vo lume of imports of the "ex HS line" products, as
well as the volume of those of the products integrated at the 8-digit level which had also been
integrated at the 6-digit level, were not counted, the volume of imports of the products integrated inStages 1 and 2, taken together, would still amount to no less than 33  per cent (i.e. the 16 per cent
mentioned in Article 2.6 plus the 17 per cent men tioned in Article 2.8(a)) of the volume of Latvia’s
total imports in 1994 of the products falling under the coverage of the ATC.  The TMB, therefore,
took note of the notifications made under Articles 2.6 and 2.7(b), as well as under Articles 2.8(a) and
2.11, with the observations mentioned above.G/TMB/R/68
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Notification under Article 2.15 of the ATC
7. The TMB reviewed the notification made by Norway under Article 2.15.  According to this
notification, in order to contribute to the objective of integration of textiles and clothing into
GATT 1994 and with particular reference to Article 2.15, Norway had decided to eliminate all
remaining quantitative restrictions on textile imports.  Therefore, the restraints applied on importsfrom Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand of products of category 70 (fishing nets) will, in accordance
with Article 2.15, be rescinded on 1 January 2001.  The Members affected had been informed in
advance, in accordance with Article 2.15.  The TMB commended Norway for the early elimination of
all the restrictions it maintained under this Agreement (G/TMB/N/356).
Communications received by the TMB
Argentina/Korea
8. The TMB received two communications from Arge ntina related to the transitional safeguard
measure applied provisionally by Argentina pursuant to Article 6.11, with effect from
29 October 1999, on imports from Korea of woven fabrics of synthetic filament, whether impregnated
or not, consisting of three quotas on products of categories 619, 620 and 229/629.  In the first
communication, Argentina informed the TMB, in re sponse to the Body’s request for information1 that
it was the intention of Argentina to comply with the recommendations made by the TMB, containedin paragraphs 39, 62 to 64 and 75 of G/TMB/R/64.  In the second communication, Argentina
transmitted Resolution No. 675/2000 of the Ministry of the Economy modifying the transitional
safeguard measure, referred to above, as required by the recommendations made by the TMB.
9. In reviewing these communications, the TMB recalled that the transitional safeguard measure
which had been introduced with reference to Article 6.11 of the ATC consisted of three quotas for aduration of three years on imports from Korea, affecting products of categories 619 (woven fabrics of
pure polyester filament), 620 (other woven fabrics of synthetic filament) and 229/629 (special woven
fabrics/other woven fabrics of mixed filaments).  The Resolution contained in the second
communication, referring, inter alia , to the recommendations adopted by the TMB, eliminated the
restraints imposed on imports from Korea of products of categories 620 and 229/629, while withrespect to products of category 619 it increased the level of the restraint during its first year of
application to a level of 4,868,640 kg and provided for an annual increase of that level of 6 per cent
for the subsequent years, in accordance with Article 6.13.  Noting that this Resolution implemented in
full the relevant recommendations made by the TMB, the Body took note of the two communications
received from Argentina.
Observations with Respect to Late Notifications
10. With respect to notifications addressed to the TMB after the relevant deadlines, the TMB
reiterated that its taking note of late notifications was without prejudice to the legal status of such
notifications.
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1  See G/TMB/R/67, paragraph 5.