. /.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/425
27 November 2000
(00-5055)
REPORTS OF THE SPECIAL SESSIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
AND OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES, AND OF THE TRIPS
COUNCIL ON THE MANDATED NEGOTIATIONS ON AGRICULTURE,
SERVICES AND GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS
Communication from Switzerland
The following communication dated 21 November 2000 has been received from the
Permanent Mission of Switzerland with the request that it be circulated to WTO Members.
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Please find enclosed a letter addressed to the Chairman of the General Council on the above
matter by the Delegations of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, Iceland, India, Kenya,
Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Pakistan, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Turkey.
Since this is a matter of some urgency, we would be grateful if you could circulate this letter
to all WTO Members at the earliest convenience.
_______________WT/GC/W/425
Page 2
REPORTS OF THE SPECIAL SESSIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
AND OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES, AND OF THE TRIPS
COUNCIL ON THE MANDATED NEGOTIATIONS ON AGRICULTURE,
SERVICES AND GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS
From the Delegations of:  Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt,
Hungary, Iceland, India, Kenya, Liechtenstein,
Mauritius, Pakistan, Slovenia, Sri Lanka,
Switzerland and Turkey
1. Referring to the consultations you held pursuant to the decision of the General Council on 10
October 2000 (WT/GC/M/58, paragraph 157), we wish to bring the following to your knowledge:
(a) As you will remember, we proposed that the TRIPS Council reported progress in the
negotiations on the protection of geographical indications to the General Council on a
regular basis.  This reporting should take place exactly as it is the case for the bodies
responsible for conducting other mandated negotiations under the MarrakeshAgreement.  For us, it is only natural and logical that the General Council, the
overseeing organ of the WTO, should be kept informed in like manner about all
mandated negotiations.
(b) The terms of the relevant articles of the TRIPS Agreement indicate unequivocally
that negotiations relating to the protection of geographical indications are mandatedwithin the WTO framework.  As for Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture and
Article XIX of the GATS, the negotiat ing mandate enshrined in the TRIPS
Agreement is expressed in a clear and imperative language.  It is obvious from the
ordinary meaning of the relevant provisions that none of those negotiations has a
lesser status under the WTO Agreement.  Denying this equality of treatment to one ofthe mandated negotiations could eventually impact on the status of the other
mandated negotiations.
(c) In the light of the foregoing, we submit that the negotiations on the protection of
geographical indications be reported regularly to the General Council under the same
agenda item as the negotiations on agriculture and services.  We therefore request you
to include in the agenda of the 7 and 8 December meeting of the General Council the
following agenda item:  "Reports of the Special Sessions of the Committee on
Agriculture and of the Council for Trade in Services, and of the TRIPS Council
on the Mandated Negotiations on Agriculture, Services and Geographical
Indications".
2. We hope that this request will be favourably considered and, in the meantime, we stand ready
to join in any consultations that you may wish to undertake on the draft agenda of the next GeneralCouncil meeting.
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