G/SG/Q2/ARE/3, G/SG/Q2/BHR/2  
G/SG/Q2/KWT/2, G/SG/Q2/OMN/2  
G/SG/Q2/QAT/2, G/SG/Q2/SA U/2 
 
16 November 2016  
(16-6314) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Safeguards  Original: English  
 
 NOTIFICATION UNDER A RTICLE 12.4 OF THE A GREEMENT  ON 
SAFEGUARDS BEFORE TA KING A PROVISIONAL  
MEASURE REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 6  
 
NOTIFICATION PU RSUANT TO ARTICLE 9,  FOOTNOTE 2   
OF THE AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS  
 
QUESTIONS POSED BY T HE UNITED STATES REGARDING THE NOTIFICATION OF THE 
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN, THE STATE OF K UWAIT, THE SULTANATE  OF OMAN, THE  
STATE OF QATAR, KING DOM OF SAUDI A RABIA, AND UNITED AR AB EMIRATES  
(COOPERATION COUNCIL  FOR THE ARAB STATES OF THE GULF "GCC")1 
The following communication, dated 15 Nov ember 2016 , is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the United States.  
 
_______________  
 
 
The United States thanks the GCC Members for their collective notification regarding the 
safeguards investigation on imports of ferro silico manganese , and poses the following question:  
Question 1  
In its collective notification, the GCC indicates that the investigation was initiated on 3 October 
2016 and provisional measures came into force on 1 November 2016 (i.e., less than 30 days from 
initiation). A rticle 6 of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards states that "[i]n critical circumstances 
where delay would cause damage which it would be difficult to repair, a Member may take a 
provisional safeguard measure pursuant to a preliminary determination that there is clear evidence 
that increased imports have caused or are threatening to cause serious injury. " The notification 
provides data that, in the GCC competent authorities ' view, constitute "clear evidence " needed to 
impose provisional measures. Please indicat e whether the information relied on was placed in the 
administrative record and made available to interested parties prior to making a determination to 
impose provisional measures. If not, please explain the reason for this decision.  
Question 2  
In addition  to the data in the complaint for investigation, please identify the source(s) of additional 
information used by the GCC competent authorities that constitute "clear evidence " that increased 
imports have caused or are threatening to cause serious injury, a nd substantiates the decision to 
impose provisional duties. If no additional information was examined by the GCC competent 
authorities, please explain the reason for this decision and how this is consistent with Article 6 of 
the WTO Agreement on Safeguards . 
                                                
1 G/SG/N/7/ARE/1 -G/SG/N/11/ARE/1 -G/SG/N/7/BHR/1 -G/SG/N/11/BHR/1 -G/SG/N/7/KWT/1 - 
G/SG/N/11/KWT/1 -G/SG/N/7/OMN/1 -G/SG/N/11/OMN/1 -G/SG/N/7/QAT/1 -G/SG/N/11/QAT/1 - 
G/SG/N/7/SAU/1 -G/SG/N/11/SAU/1 (dated 21 Octob er 2016) and G/SG/N/7/ARE/1/Suppl.1 -
G/SG/N/7/BHR/1/Suppl.1 -G/SG/N/7/KWT/1/Suppl.1 -G/SG/N/7/OMN/1/Suppl.1 -G/SG/N/7/QAT/1/Suppl.1 - 
G/SG/N/7/SAU/1/Suppl.1 (dated 1 November 2016).  G/SG/Q2/ARE/3 • G/SG/Q2/BHR/2 • G/SG/Q2/KWT/2 • G/SG/Q2/OMN/2 •  
G/SG/Q2/QAT/2 • G/SG/Q2/SAU/2  
 
- 2 - 
 
  Question 3  
If information was received from interested parties prior to making a determination to impose 
provisional measures, did the GCC competent authorities analyze and assess the information 
provided during the post -initiation period? If not, please  explain the reason for this decision.  
 
__________