RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/C/M/90 
27 August 2007 
 
 (07-3593) 
Council for Trade in Goods  
  
 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS 
9 JULY 2007 
 
Chairperson: H.E. Ambassador Karsten Vagn Nielsen (Denmark
) 
 
 
 The meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods was convened by airgram WTO/AIR/3041/Rev.1 and the proposed agenda fo r the meeting was contained in document 
G/C/W/583.  The meeting proceeded on  the basis of the following agenda. 
 
 
I.
 NOTIFICATION OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS.............................................1  
II. UNITED STATES – REQUEST FOR WAIVERS FOR AFRICAN GROWTH 
AND OPPORTUNITY ACT, CARIBBEAN BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT, AS AMENDED, AND ANDEAN TRADE PREFERENCE ACT, AS AMENDED........................................................................................................................ ........2
 
III. UNITED STATES – REQUEST FOR AN EXTENSION OF THE WAIVER 
FOR THE FORMER TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS.....................3  
IV. MONGOLIA – REQUEST FOR A WAIVER FROM ACCESSION COMMITMENT ON EXPORT OF RAW CASHMERE.....................................................4
 
V. SENEGAL - CUSTOMS VALUATION AGREEMENT: REQUEST FOR AN 
EXTENSION OF WAIVER  GRANTED UNDER ARTICLE IX OF THE WTO 
AGREEMENT ...................................................................................................................... ....6 
VI. ISSUES RELATED TO TRADE IN TEXTILES ..................................................................7  
VII. ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON FOR THE INFORMATION 
TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE...........................................................................................10  
VIII.  OTHER BUSINESS................................................................................................................1 0 
 
 
I. NOTIFICATION OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS 
1.1 The Chairman  recalled that, under the working procedures agreed by the Committee on 
Regional Trade Agreements following adoption by  the General Council of the Transparency 
Mechanism, the Council for Trade in Goods was to be  kept informed of Members' notifications of 
new regional trade agreements.  He informed the CTG that the following regional trade agreements 
had been notified to the RTA Committee: 
 
A. Agreement between India and Singapore – Notification from Singapore in documents 
WT/REG228/N/1 and S/C/N/393; 
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  B. Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnershi p – Notification from Singapore in document 
WT/REG229/N/1; 
 C. Agreement between Chile and China - Notification from the Parties in document 
WT/REG230/N/1; 
 
D. The South African Customs Union – Notification from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South 
African and Swaziland in document WT/REG231/N/1; 
 1.2 He proposed that the Council takes note of the information just presented. 
 
1.3 The Council so agreed
. 
 
II. UNITED STATES – REQUEST FOR WAIVERS FOR AFRICAN GROWTH AND 
OPPORTUNITY ACT, CARIBBEAN BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT, AS 
AMENDED, AND ANDEAN TRADE PREFERENCE ACT, AS AMENDED  
2.1 The Chairman  recalled the Council's consideration of the three waiver requests presented by the 
United States for the African Growth and Opportunity Act,  the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery 
Act and the Andean Trade Preference Act.  The United States had submitted revised waiver requests for these three programmes in documents G/C/W/508/Re v.1, G/C/W/509/Rev.1, a nd G/C/W/510/Rev.1.   
At the 21 May meeting of the CTG, it was agreed  to revert to this matter at this meeting.
  
2.2 The representative of the United States  recalled that, at the last meeting, a concern was 
expressed that the format of the three waiver reque sts did not follow the format of previous waiver 
requests for ATPA and CBERA.  This was a matt er on which his delegation was presently consulting 
and he expected that by the next meeting of the CT G, a revised waiver request would be circulated to 
Members incorporating these concerns.  On a separa te matter, he noted that the ATPA programme had 
been modified by the US Congres s since the last CTG meeting as  the programme was originally 
scheduled to expire at the end of June.  The Congre ss extended the provisions of that programme which 
would need to be incorporated into the waiver deci sion.  He hoped to present this new decision at the 
next  CTG meeting.  2.3 The representative of Paraguay
 took note of the US statement and was waiting for new 
information on the requests in the format which was deemed appropriate.  However, his delegation 
continued to undertake efforts to reach an acceptable solution to all Members.  One of the most    
important foundations of the WTO was the rule of consensus which allowed any Member to safeguard 
its vital interests and principles wh ich it believed fundamental to trade.  For some time, Paraguay had 
maintained the principle of non-discrimination in appl ying preferential models to the enabling clause.  It 
had done so in the Doha Round negotiations, in the re gular bodies of the WTO and also as part of the 
Dispute Settlement Body.  In this regard, it had re ceived support from several delegations and Members 
of MERCOSUR.  Paraguay was not using the rule of consensus in a whimsical manner.  On the 
contrary, his delegation was aware of the obligation of any Member to cooperate in order to move 
forward in negotiations and in the adoption of deci sions in WTO bodies.  This was why it was doing its 
utmost in order to try to find a solution to make it possible to join the consensus and approve these 
decisions.  As stated in the previous CTG meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, Ruben 
Ramirez Lezcano, visited the US last June when he met with Members of the Congress and other US 
Government officials.  He also held a meeting with the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.  In all of 
these meetings, the Chancellor highlighted the situ ation with regard to Paraguay and put forward 
some suggestions so that this issue be appropria tely addressed.  His delegation believed that these 
meetings should not end in empty words; an opport unity that was satisfactory for all stakeholders 
should be found.  An opportunity to discuss these matters could be the bilateral Council on Trade and 
Investment between Paraguay and the US , to be held in September.    G/C/M/90 
 Page 3 
 
 
  2.4 He thanked the delegations interested in this matter who understood his delegation's position 
and who were collaborating to find a solution wh ich would bear in mind the fair claims of a 
landlocked, developing country.  His delegation had taken note that on 28 June 2007 the US House of 
Representatives approved a new extension of the law of Trade Preferences for the ANDEAN countries.  It was promulgated on 30 June by the Exec utive thereby extending its entry into force until 
29 February 2008.  His delegation was satisfied with  this approval.  As pointed out in previous 
occasions, the list of goods protected by these preferences contained several products of interest to Paraguay and this was in prejudice to the economy of  his country.  On the other hand, Paraguay was  
preferred by drug traffickers as a country of transit.  This had been recognized by the North American 
Authorities themselves who were responsible for fi ghting against this scourge.  The US regularly 
admitted that Paraguay had provided adequate cooper ation to this fight.  Therefore, his delegation 
believed that it was fair and appropriate to in clude Paraguay amongst the beneficiaries of this 
preferential model.  This would be th e appropriate solution to this problem. 
 2.5 The Chairman
 proposed that the Council takes note of th e statements made and reverts to this 
matter at its next meeting. 
2.6 The Council so agreed . 
III. UNITED STATES – REQUEST FOR AN EXTENSION OF THE WAIVER FOR THE 
FORMER TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS  
3.1 The Chairman  recalled that the United States submitte d a request for an extension of the 
waiver for the Former Trust Territory of the Paci fic Islands in document G/ C/W/570, dated 3 January 
2007.  At our last meeting, the United States circ ulated some proposed chan ges to the draft waiver 
decision.  This revised document had been circulated in G/C/W/570/Rev.1.  It was agreed to revert to 
this matter at this meeting.    3.2 The representative of the United States
 recalled concerns expressed similar to the previous 
three waiver requests that the form of this waiver decision did not follow the form of previous waivers 
that had been granted to the United States for these Is lands.  In the present revision of the draft waiver 
circulated to Members, his delegation restored the elem ents that were in the previous waiver decision.  
This waiver differed substantially from the waiver requests discussed under the previous agenda item.  
The issue dated back to 1948 and, in a sense, it was an accident of history that waivers were even 
required for this particular programme because of the dynamics of the formation of the United 
Nations and the grandfathering of these territories into the GATT 1947 system.  His delegation did not 
see this waiver decision as a precedent, or even relate d to other waiver request as it concerned matters 
left over from 1948.  His delegation believed that it had satisfied concerns on the format of this waiver 
and hoped that Members would be in a position to  agree to its adoption at this meeting. 
 
3.3 The Chairman  proposed that the Council takes note of the statements made, approves this 
waiver request by the United States, and recommends  that the draft decision contained in document 
G/C/W/570/Rev.1 be forwarded to th e General Council for adoption.  
 3.4 The Council so agreed
. 
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  IV. MONGOLIA – REQUEST FOR A WAIVER FROM ACCESSION COMMITMENT 
ON EXPORT OF RAW CASHMERE 
4.1 The Chairman
 drew Members' attention to document G/C/W/571 which contained a request 
by Mongolia for a waiver from its accession commitm ents with respect to the export of raw cashmere.  
In addition, Mongolia had circulated a draft waiver decision in document G/C/W/580.  
4.2 The representative of Mongolia  recalled that her delegation was seeking a waiver from its 
accession commitment to eliminate an export duty on ra w cashmere within 10 years of the date of its 
accession, in 1997, in accordance with paragraph 24 of the report of the Working Party on the 
Accession of Mongolia.  Indeed, there were a number of compelling reasons and particular 
circumstances behind Mongolia's request for a 5 year extension of the period for phase-out and 
elimination of the export duty on raw cashmere.  Her delegation had provide d detailed information 
and an explanation of the issue in its communication:   G/C/W/571.  To cite some of the main reasons 
for its waiver request., cashmere products were th e third largest export of Mongolia, making up 4.5% 
of the gross industrial output and accounting for ar ound 10% of total exports.  The sector had been 
playing an important role for the socio-economic development in terms of industrial development, 
creation of employment and generating revenues fro m foreign trade.  Nonetheless, the sector was 
facing serious challenges and difficulties.    4.3 In recent years a substantial decline had b een witnessed in Mongolian textiles manufacturing 
as well as a decreasing share of cashmere exports.  A rapidly growing demand for raw materials, in 
particular for raw materials on international commod ity markets, was having an enormous impact on 
Mongolia's textile and industry.  Due to a lack of ra w materials, a considerable number of local textile 
and cashmere processing firms were being compelled to  exit the industry or to struggle for survival, 
failing to utilize even half of their full production capacity.  Employment in the textile industry, including in cashmere manufacturing, had shrunk by half  within the last few years.  In this regard, the 
continuation of the application of export taxes wa s important to sustaining the development of the 
fledgling Mongolian processing industry.  In addi tion to the difficulties faced by the processing 
industry itself, there were important environmenta l concerns linked to the issue.  An unbalanced 
growth of the export of raw cashmere had led to an  inequitable growth of goad heads that caused 
extensive environmental dama ge and desertification. 
 4.4 Following the circulation of the request fo r a waiver to Members, her delegation had 
conducted quite extensive and producti ve consultations with its main trading partners and interested 
Members.  Questions were received from China a nd the US concerning the Mongolian export regime, 
the status of the export of raw cashmere, the domestic processing industry as well as the Mongolian policy on cashmere production.  The questions and re plies could be circulated to Members, upon 
request.  Her delegation also had a broad exchange of  views on the issue with interested parties such 
as the EU, Canada, India, Korea, Japan, Para guay and Kenya.  She expressed her delegation's 
appreciation for their interest, understanding and support.    4.5 She added that in the event that the presen t draft decision would be adopted, Mongolia would 
be ready to commit itself to apply the export duty at the level not exceeding 30% ad valorem  until the 
year 2010.  Subsequently, the duty rate should not exceed the lower of either 20% ad valorem  or the 
applied ad valorem  export duty, which would be in effect  the following year, minus 10 percentage 
points.  Finally, the export duty should be eliminat ed in 2012.  She concluded by stressing that the 
extension of the application period of the export du ty would significantly contribute to attaining her 
Government's objective aimed at promoting the de velopment of its infant processing industry, the 
creation of jobs, and ensuring a sustainable and ba lanced use of pasture lands, thus mitigating the 
dangers of desertification and land degradation.  Her delegation looked forward to Members' positive 
consideration and supp ort on this matter. 
  G/C/M/90 
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  4.6 The representative of the United States  appreciated the information Mongolia had provided 
on its request to postpone implem entation of its commitment to phase-out and eliminate its export 
duties on raw cashmere.  His delegation acknowle dged the specific improvements Mongolia would 
make during this five year period to strengthen its  cashmere processing sector with regards to the 
production of cashmere finished products.  Because of this, and the fact that Mongolia had requested a 
waiver of only 5 years, his delegation could appr ove Mongolia's waiver request without objection. 
4.7 The representative of China  said that, as a major importer of Mongolian cashmere, China 
attached importance to the deliberation of the M ongolian waiver request.  Any decision here would 
have an impact on bilateral trade as far as raw cash mere was concerned.  His delegation had studied 
the latest draft decision concerning Monglia's waiver  request for duties on exports of raw cashmere.  
He believed that the current draft d ecision, had, to a certain extent, reflected the bilateral consultations 
and communications that had taken place so far to  address some of China's legitimate concerns.  
Therefore, his capital had instructed him to show  readiness to go along with the emerging consensus 
to agree to the draft decision in its present form.  His delegation understood that the waiver request, if 
approved by the CTG and endorsed by the General C ouncil, would mean an important modification of 
the specific terms of Mongolia's accession commitme nt which required it to phase out and eliminate 
the export duties of raw cashmere within 10 years of  the date of its accession.  While Mongolia had 
provided reasons for its inability to honour this specific accession commitment, and China had shown 
sympathy and understanding in this regard as a fello w acceding Member, it was necessary to point out 
that it was customary practice in the WTO that ef fected Members, including China, were entitled to 
some form of compensation.  So, it was hoped that China's generosity here would not be 
misunderstood as a lack of systemic concern of subs tantive trade interests.  It was also hoped that 
once adopted by the relevant WTO Bodies, the deci sion would be implemented earnestly in both spirit 
and letter.  His delegation encouraged the Governme nt of Mongolia to take visible steps to further 
liberalize its trade policy and the expo rt of raw cashmere and other products. 
4.8 The representative of India  appreciated the details provide d by Mongolia in support of is 
request.  His delegation had examined this request  and the underlying reasons.  It supported Mongolia 
as it fully recognised the utility of export taxes as an important policy tool that enabled availability of 
scarce commodities for domestic value-added purposes.  Such duties had been used by other Members 
at different stages of their development to move up the value chain.  Mongolia's request for a 5 year 
waiver in fulfilling its accession commitments deserved  support, particularly in view of Mongolia's 
gradual phase-out of these duties within this 5-year period.   
4.9 The representative of Turkey  expressed his delegation's support to Mongolia's request for a 
waiver from its accession commitment on export duties on raw cashmere based on the economic, 
social and environmental justifications me ntioned in their supporting documentation. 
4.10 The representative of Paraguay  expressed his delegation's s upport for Mongolia's waiver 
request.  He recalled clearly Paraguay's accession process and knew that in an accession procedure it 
was difficult to precisely measure the scope of the commitments undertaken.  Five years was not a lot 
of time for a product which Mongolia had said was v ital for its country.  Mongolia was a land-locked 
developing country, as was Paraguay.  His delegatio n believed that there were the necessary criteria 
for this Council to support and contri bute with Mongolia to its full integration into the world trading 
system as a full Member of the WTO. 
4.11 The representative of Bolivia  said that her delegation supp orted Mongolia's request for a 
waiver.  It knew well the challenges a land-lock ed developing country faced when developing 
sustainable developing programmes over time, which was the case of cashmere for Mongolia.   G/C/M/90 
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  4.12 The Chairman
 proposed that the Council take note of  the statements made, approve the 
waiver request by Mongolia, and recommend that the draft decision contained in document G/C/W/580 be forwarded to the General Council for adoption.  
4.13 The Council so agreed
.  
V. SENEGAL - CUSTOMS VALUATION AGREEMENT: REQUEST FOR AN 
EXTENSION OF WAIVER GRANTED UNDER ARTICLE IX OF THE WTO 
AGREEMENT 
5.1 The Chairman  drew Members' attention to documents G/C/W/581 and G/C/W/582 submitted 
by Senegal.  The first documen t contained a report by Senegal on its use of minimum values 
following adoption of the waiver decision in  document WT/L/655.  The second document, 
G/C/W/582, contained a new request for an extensio n of this waiver decision on the use of minimum 
values for customs purposes.    5.2 The representative of Senegal
 informed the Council that his delegation had submitted a 
request for an extension of the waiver for th e implementation of minimum values officially 
established for a given list of products.  His delega tion's previous request for a waiver was approved 
by the General Council for the period until 30 June  2007.  Under the single undertaking, Senegal 
applied the general terms of the GATT despite the difficulties for developing countries, particularly 
those who had problems with implementation.  Th e Customs Administration of Senegal had not yet 
fully mastered the transaction value because of the strong presence of the informal sector in its 
economy, an insufficient understanding of the WTO rules, and persistent commercial fraud, under-
valuation and price manipulation.  Moreover, th e effective implementation of the Agreement on 
Customs Valuation required putting in place new pr ocedures for the transaction value as well as major 
improvements in the skills and knowledge of cust oms officials.  The Customs Administration of 
Senegal had undertaken a series of actions with a vi ew to strengthening its capacity and modernising 
structures, in particular the improvement of the computer system for risk assessment and increasing its 
database of values.  This was with a view to maki ng decisions on value and supporting the use of the 
transaction of value as the main way of assessing the value of imported goods.   Senegal was moving 
towards better value practices in that it not only applied the WTO Decision on software and computer 
methods for data processing, but was also movi ng towards having pre-shipment inspection and 
progressively improving the software for risk management.   
5.3 In requesting the waiver, his delegation w as respecting all its commitments related, in 
particular to, management of the scope, notifica tion and publication of methodology for determining 
minimum value.  Thus, it had periodically sent in quarterly reports on the state of implementation, 
with the most recent sent on 27 March 2007.  Finally, it should be noted that, like many other developing countries, customs revenue was the lion's sh are of Senegal's ordinary budget.  In order to 
secure this revenue which was vital for the socio- economic development of the country, Senegal, by 
using limited values on a limited number of sensitive and large consumption goods imported 
particularly from the informal sector, was trying to avoid tax evasion and commercial fraud.  This 
waiver, in accordance with th e Customs Valuation Agreement would be transitional and non-
discriminatory and was not meant as a non-tariff barrier to close market access.  It was an attempt to 
ensure customs revenues through given values, not  beyond the normal values obtained using specific 
methodology.  In light of these ar guments, Senegal would request a 3 year  extension of the General 
Council decision authorising Senegal to apply minimal value under Article IX of the WTO 
Agreement.  Senegal was open to discuss the matter with any interested delegation and hoped that the 
Council would look at this with a view to accepting it. 
  G/C/M/90 
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  5.4 The representative of the United States  recalled that his dele gation had had productive 
discussions with Senegal in the context of its previ ous waiver request.  It expected that it would be 
interested in meeting again with Senegal bilaterally  in order to discuss any issues that may might need 
further exploration. 
5.5 The Chairman  proposed that the Council take note of th e statements made and revert to this 
matter at its next meeting.  In the meantime, he  invited Members to undertake consultations and 
discussions in order to make progress at the next meeting.  5.6 The Council so agreed
.  
 VI. ISSUES RELATED TO TRADE IN TEXTILES  
6.1 The Chairman
 recalled that at the CTG meeting on 21 May 2007 the discussion had focused 
on the new proposal submitted by Turkey on 6 Ma rch 2007, contained in document G/C/W/573 and 
G/C/W/573/Corr.1.  In this submission, Turkey pr esented a draft outline for the work programme it 
had proposed in document G/C/W/549, dated 28 April 200 6.   This latter documen t itself contained, in 
particular, the terms of reference of a work progr amme proposed by Turkey for the consideration of 
the Council.  As there was no common understanding among the Members neither on the new submission presented by Turkey, nor on the terms of  reference of the work programme contained 
therein, it had been agreed that the Chairman w ould hold further consultations on the issue to which 
the Council would revert at this meeting.  He had,  therefore, convened such  open-ended consultations 
on 4 July 2007.  Several delegati ons supported Turkey whilst several others remained unconvinced of 
the need for such a work programme and opposed it. 
6.2 The representative of Turkey
 said that his delegation had had some contacts with some 
Members since the last formal meeting of th e Council.  He was optimistic that a common 
understanding could be achieved over time.  In these consultations, his delegation had emphasised 
five points:  (1) The time elapsed since the ph ase-out of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing 
(ATC) provided Members with an ad equate amount of data on whic h a thorough analysis could be 
constructed;  (2) Such a study would in no way beco me a predecessor for others in other sectors, since 
the issue was simply to assess global trade in textiles and clothing after the ATC, a WTO Agreement.  
In other words this would be a sui generis  study originating from specific historic circumstances in 
global trade;  (3) This study would be a product of WTO Members.  By no means or in no way could it threaten the system.  The systemic concerns we re unfounded and exaggerated.  If Members would 
focus on the outline, they would see to it that the study would be an assessme nt of global market 
conditions which would also look for new opportunities for the development concerns of countries 
and examine ways for collaborative efforts.  The pre-condition in the proposal was simple:  full 
respect of the basic principles and rules of the WT O as well as of the rights and obligations of the 
Members;  (4) His delegation envisaged no probable adverse effect of such a study on any WTO 
Member.  This would be well understood once Members started considering the aspects of the study;  
and (5) There existed significant support from the Memb ership.  This indicated the importance of  the 
textiles and clothing sectors for the economies of  WTO Members.  Such Members asked for an 
objective evaluation of the global production and trad e conditions, the prospects in the market and the 
impact of investment and consumption trends.  He  believed that the proposal had garnered crucial 
support and that the Members which had not yet sh ared this idea could reconsider their position. 
6.3 His delegation was ready to continue to work  constructively with other Members, taking into 
account what they could expect from such a study.  He requested the Chair to continue his useful 
consultations on this issue while his delegation w ould continue to have b ilateral and plurilateral 
consultations in order to develop a common understanding on the issue as soon as possible.  G/C/M/90 
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  6.4 The representative of Tunisia
 reiterated the importance of the textiles and clothing sectors for 
his country, in view of the sector’s contribution to the economy and to social stability.  His delegation favoured the establishment of a work programme on textiles and clothing under the auspices of the 
Council for Trade in Goods, as suggested by Turkey , with a view to allowing developing countries in 
particular to better analyse the e volution of trade, notably since the elimination of the quota system, and 
to better prepare themselves to face future challenges. 
6.5 The representative of China
 said that, as it was known to all, his country belonged to a group 
of Members which were unconvinced of the need to  single out textiles for such a programme.  Since 
the last informal consultations there had been no change in his delegation's position on this issue.  
China did not support such a programme.  This position was unlikely to change any time soon. 
6.6 The representative of Jordan  observed that his country was one of the many Members which 
supported the establishment of a work  programme on textiles and clothi ng.  The statement made by the 
Turkish delegation had described in full what was need ed in this study.  His delegation would welcome  
substantive contributions on the draft outline by those Members which remained unconvinced. 
6.7 The representative of the Dominican Republic  supported Turkey's initiative to set up a work 
programme on the textiles sector within the framewor k of the CTG.  This sector was very important for 
her delegation and she believed that the necessary study should be conducted in order to ascertain the 
importance and impact of what was taking place in  the negotiations in this sector and how Members 
could resolve possible problems with regard to th e textiles sector within the framework of these 
negotiations. 
6.8 The representative of India  remained unconvinced of the need to single out textiles for such a 
study for reasons which his delegati on had reiterated in previous m eetings.  His delegation’s position 
remained unchanged:  it was unable to support the proposal by Turkey. 
6.9 The representative of Thailand  said that his delegation belonged to the group that was not 
supporting the proposal by Turkey to have a study on this  particular sector.  He noted Turkey's efforts in 
trying to explain its proposal in the Council as we ll as in bilateral settings.  For the record, his 
delegation’s position had not changed and the sy stemic concerns expressed before remained. 
6.10 The representative of Honduras , also speaking on behalf of the delegation of El Salvador , 
repeated that both delegations suppor ted Turkey's initiative to set up a work programme on the textiles 
and clothing sector. 
6.11 The representative of Hong Kong, China  observed that after months of discussion on this issue 
one could not find any new argument on the proposal by  Turkey.  He echoed the delegations of China, 
India and Thailand in saying that his delega tion did not find the proposal appropriate. 
6.12 The representative of Morocco  re-affirmed the support of her de legation for Turkey's initiative 
with regard to the establishment of a specific wo rk programme as well as a study on the textiles and 
clothing sector.  Obviously, this would be done in accordance with th e obligations and basic principles 
of the WTO. 
6.13 The representative of Japan  confirmed that Japan's position remained the same.  Based on the 
fact that a number of Members ha d a considerable stake in trade in  textiles, Japan understood that a 
study, as shown in the first part of the submission of  Turkey, would be a useful reference.  Japan could 
support conducting such a study provi ded that two conditions be met:  first, that the study would be 
conducted without prejudice to the NAMA negotiations;  second, that the study would not lead to the 
introduction of any trade restrictive measures.  Also , Japan had some concerns on the substance of the 
outline presented in the Turkish document, which her delegation would discuss when appropriate  G/C/M/90 
 Page 9 
 
 
  6.14 The representative of Pakistan  said that the views of his delegation on the issue were well 
known to all delegates but maybe not well underst ood by some of them.  After the open-ended 
consultations of 4 July, his capital  had re-examined the issue with an  open mind but had come to the 
same conclusion.  The basi s of that conclusion was that the period  of two years for which international 
trade data were available was so small that it could not produce any credible results.  Therefore, his 
delegation was not convinced of the need for any work programme on this sector. 
6.15 The representative of Mexico  supported the initiative to carry  out a study on textiles and 
clothing proposed by Turkey and asked delega tions to show flexibility in this regard. 
6.16 The representative of Viet Nam  said that his delegation remained unconvinced of the need to 
single out this particular sector for a work programme  as proposed by Turkey.  He had not received any 
instruction from his capital to support this kind of proposal in the future. 
6.17 The representative of the United States  stated that the position of his delegation had not 
changed from previous meetings.  His delegation sa w some benefits to pursuing the kind of study 
Turkey had put forward. 
6.18 The representative of Egypt  reiterated his delegation’s position in favour of a study and work 
programme under the Council, as proposed by Turkey, to analyze changes in the textiles and clothing 
sector. 
6.19 The representative of Argentina  said that the proposal by Turkey, supported by some 
delegations, went beyond conducting a study on the textil es situation.  If one read carefully the work 
programme proposed, it included a periodic review of th e textiles market as well as consultations with 
chairpersons of certain WTO bodies.  It requested the Secretariat to put forward recommendations, the 
Council for Trade in Goods to work on problems create d by the differences in prices of textiles and 
clothing products.  It also requested that cooperat ive exercises with other organizations, such as the 
Work Bank, be undertaken.  This was not just a si mple study or work programme.  The delegation of 
Pakistan had referred to the brief time that has elapsed since the end of the ATC.  However, the 
representative of Argentina understood  that there were studies availa ble in other organizations with 
regard to the situation and impact of the phasing out of textiles quotas.  Without favouring the work 
programme, he wondered whether a less ambitious appr oximation could be made at this stage, given the 
deadlock that has occurred.  He sugg ested in this regard that it could be  useful if Turkey or some other 
Member could present, or the Secretariat compile, st udies already prepared by other organizations.  He 
observed that the time elapsed since the end of the ATC was quite brief.  When one looked at Turkey's 
proposal, it was difficult to reach a balanced solution on its basis.  In light of the type of suggestions he 
had made, perhaps in the future the Council would be in a position to decide upon the establishment of a 
work programme similar to the one suggested today by Turkey.  His fe eling was that before starting to 
run it might be better first to learn how to walk. 
6.20 The representative of Turkey  felt encouraged by the discussion.  Once more, so many countries, 
developed and developing, had seen important merits in conducting such a study.  Therefore, he invited 
the other Members to set their pre-judgements asid e and show some flexibility.  He welcomed the 
proposal by Argentina for a middle ground.  He repeat ed that he wished the Chairman to continue 
consultations while his delegation would do the same.  He expressed optimism and felt that he would 
convince the other Members of the merits  of this study in the near future. 
6.21 The Chairman  concluded that from the interventions th at had been made it seemed clear that 
there continued to be no common understanding among Members on this item.  Therefore, he 
proposed that the Council take note of the statements ma de and revert to this item at its next meeting.  
In the meantime, as requested by Turkey, he woul d continue the process of open ended consultations 
in order to continue the discussion of the issue, and, as indicated also by Turkey, he would encourage G/C/M/90 
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  Members to continue the process of bilateral discus sions and to seize any opportunity to get a better 
appreciation of each other’s position so that the Counc il could eventually move forward on this issue. 
 6.22 The Council so agreed
. 
 VII. ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON FOR THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 
COMMITTEE 
7.1 The Chairman
 informed Members that the Chairman  of the Committee on the Information 
Technology Agreement had left Geneva  and was, therefore, no longer able to serve as Chair.  In 
accordance with The Guidelines for the Appoint ment of Officers to WTO bodies contained in 
document WT/L/510, adopted by the General Council on 10 December 2002, the Chairman of the 
CTG was to carry out consultations on a new candidate for Chairmanship of the subsidiary bodies.  On the basis of consultations carried out, he was now in a position to propose to the Council Mr. Khalid I. Emara of Egypt as candidate for the Chairmanship of the ITA Committee.  He asked if the Council 
could agree with the nomination of Mr. Emara to this position. 
 
7.2 The Council so agreed
. 
 
VIII.  OTHER BUSINESS 
A. DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING  
8.1 The Chairman  informed Members that the next mee ting of the Council for Trade in Goods 
was scheduled to take place on Friday, 23 Nove mber 2007.  The agenda would close on Tuesday, 
13 November 2007.  8.2 The meeting was adjourned. 
 
 
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