WORLD TRADE G/L/159
2April 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-1355)
IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE MINISTERIAL DECLARATION ON
TRADE ININFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS
Note bytheSecretariat
Informal Meeting of26March 1997
_____________
Atthebeginning ofthemeeting theChairman made thefollowing observations:
"AttheMinisterial Meeting inSingapore, 29WTO Members andStates orseparate customs
territories intheprocess ofacceding totheWTO agreed onaMinisterial Declaration onTrade in
Information Technology Products (WT/MIN(96)/16) envisaging elimination ofcustoms duties andother
duties andcharges onthese products byJanuary, 2000.
Thefollowing steps were agreed forimplementation oftheDeclaration:
(i) Thefinalization ofplurilateral technical discussions by31January 1997on,interalia,extended
staging ofreduction andexpansion ofproduct coverage inlimited circumstances.
(ii) Submission byparticipants ofproposed schedules ofconcessions nolaterthan1March 1997.
(iii) Review andapproval ofschedules onaconsensus basis nolaterthan1April 1997.
(iv) Notification totheDirector-General ofacceptance oftheannex onthemodalities andproduct
coverage.
(v) Meeting ofparticipants nolaterthan1April 1997 toreview thestateofacceptances andthe
conclusions tobedrawn therefrom.
Itwasagreed thatparticipants would implement theactions foreseen intheDeclaration provided
thatparticipantsrepresentingapproximately90percentofworldtradeininformationtechnologyproducts
hadbythen notified their acceptance andprovided thatstaging hadbeen agreed tothe
participants 'satisfaction.
Intheplurilateral technical discussions heldbefore 31January 1997, itwasagreed toamend
thedescription oftheproducts inattachment Bandthisamendment isalready reflected intheschedules
ofparticipants. Theproposals inrespect ofsome oftheproducts were found tobeaclassification
issueandweresolved inthiscontext. These products areenumerated intheconference room document
number 2dated 31January 1997 andthere isanunderstanding thatthese products should bedeemed
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Page2
tobeincluded. Fourrequests forextended staging wereagreed on31January 1997andsixmore were
agreed thereafter.
Participants have metyesterday andtoday andreviewed andapproved 25schedules ona
consensus basis.
TheDirector-General hasreceived thenotifications ofacceptance of211participants andthese
havebeencirculated andarebefore you.
Today wearemeeting toreview thestateofacceptances andtoassess theconclusions tobe
drawn therefrom. According tothecalculations made bytheSecretariat, theshare ofworld trade in
information technology products ofthe25schedules thathavebeenapproved ismore than92percent.
ThusIthink thattheparticipants areinaposition toestablish thatthecriterion ofshare ofworld trade
laiddown inparagraph 4oftheannex oftheMinisterial Declaration hasbeenmet. Inapproving the
25schedules youhavealsoapproved theextended staging reflected inthese schedules.
Ihaveanother point toraise. There isageneral desire among participants thattheschedule
ofconcessions finalized inthese negotiations should bereleased tothepublic through theinternet.
Some participants haveexpressed difficulties inthisregard. Inviewofthis,theSecretariat willbe
ready toputtheschedules ofindividual participants ontheinternet iftheysendacommunication to
theSecretariat tothiseffect.
Withthese observations Iwould liketoaskifparticipants areinaposition toapprove thedraft
implementation textthatwasdistributed lastnight.
After thecirculation ofthetexttheSecretariat hasreceived some more comments which have
beenincorporated inthetext.
Thenames ofthe25participants willbelisted attheappropriate place inthetext."
Theparticipants tooknoteoftheobservations bytheChairman.
1Fornotifications ofacceptance were received during thecourse ofthemeeting.