WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONTN/MA/W/45
1 September 2003
(03-4570)
Negotiating Group on Market Access Original:  Spanish
MARKET ACCESS FOR NON-AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
Joint Communication from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama , Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela
The delegations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paragu ay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela requested, on
20 August 2003, that the following letter to the Chairman, dated 1 July 2003, should be formally
circulated.
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The delegations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paragu ay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela would like to
make a number of remarks concerning the Draft Elements of Modalities for Negotiations on Non-
Agricultural Products, recently distributed by you as Chairman of the Negotiating Group on Market
Access.
To begin with, we would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in trying to
conciliate, in your document, the often diverging positions of different WTO Members.  We consider
that a number of elements in your draft could be taken as a basis for continuing our work of definingcertain negotiating modalities that reflect the interests and concerns of all Members of the
Organization.
However, the document contains two elements that are a source of concern for our
governments, in that they raise problems with resp ect to the objectives and terms of the negotiating
mandate.  The first concerns the inequity of th e treatment proposed for the different developing
countries.  The second concerns the issue of mandatory sectoral initiatives.  We would like to put
forward a few ideas concerning these two elements, and trust that you will give them due
consideration.
We noted that on the one hand, your draft allows certain newly acceded Members
differentiated coefficients for applying the tariff reduction formula, while on the other hand, it
provides certain developing countries with the possibility of protecting their sensitive sectors by
keeping up to 5 per cent of their tariff lines unbound.
At the same time other developing countries, su ch as the co-authors of this communication,
which are not newly acceded WTO Members and have bound 100 per cent of their tariffs, are not seen
as having a right to any flexibility.  What we want is to ensure that through special and differential
treatment, these needs are recognized on a horizontal and balanced basis for all developing countries.TN/MA/W/45
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As regards the second element, we believe that the sectoral approach should be voluntary and
should be considered at a second stage, once Members have had the opportunity to evaluate the
degree of liberalization and to measure its impact.
Similarly, we think that it would be difficult to find sectors that are of interest to all of the
developing countries.  Moreover, the negotiation of the products covered would probably result in
lengthy discussions that would inevitably interfere with the time-limits for completing the negotiating
mandate.  Finally, the proposed tariff eliminatio n would mean going beyond the tariff reduction
resulting from the application of the formula.
We feel certain that you will give our concerns due consideration during the negotiations.  If
we have a proposal which offers the same initial conditions for all of the developing countries inapplying the modalities to be agreed upon, its examination and discussion in our countries will be that
much more feasible.
We are aware of the challenge facing us and we trust in your ability to achieve the consensus
necessary to attain our objectives.  We reiterate ou r commitment to contributing constructively to the
Group's discussions with a view to achieving the concensus on which progress in the negotiations
depends.
                                                   (signed)                                                    (signed)
Alfredo Vicente CHIARADIA      Gino POGGI BORDA
Ambassador      Counsellor
Permanent Representative of       Mission of Bolivia to the WTOArgentina to the WTO
                                                   (signed)                                                    ( signed)
Luiz Felipe de SEIXAS CORREA Alejandro JARA
Ambassador      Ambassador
Permanent Representative of       Permanent Representative ofBrazil to the WTO Chile to the WTO
                                                   (signed)                                                    ( signed)
Hernando José GOMEZ Ronald SABORIO SOTO
Ambassador Ambassador
Permanent Representative of Permanent Representative of
Colombia to the WTO Costa Rica to the WTO
                                                   (signed)                                                    ( signed)
Francisco A. LIMA M. Hernán ESCUDERO M.
Ambassador Ambassador
Permanent Representative of Permanent Representative of
El Salvador to the WTO Ecuador to the WTO
                                                   (signed)                                                    ( signed)
Lucy MARTINEZ-MONT Eduardo PEREZ MOTTA
Ambassador Ambassador
Permanent Representative of Permanent Representative of
Guatemala to the WTO Mexico to the WTO
                                                   (signed)                                                    ( signed)TN/MA/W/45
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Romel ADAMES Rubén RAMIREZ-LEZCANO
Ambassador Minister
Permanent Representative of Mission of Paraguay to the WTO
Panama to the WTO
                                                   (signed)                                                    ( signed)
Jorge VOTO- BERNALES Carlos PEREZ DEL CASTILLO
Ambassador Ambassador
Permanent Representative of Permanent Representative of
Peru to the WTO Uruguay to the WTO
                                                   (signed)
Luis VELASQUEZ
AmbassadorPermanent Representative of
Venezuela to the WTO
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