WORLD TRADE WT/L/172
25July1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2944)
GUATEMALA -ESTABLISHMENT OFANEW SCHEDULE LXXXVIII
Extension ofTime-Limit
Decision of18July19961
Considering thatbyaDecision of26January 19942,theCONTRACTING PARTIES to
GATT 1947 suspended application oftheprovisions ofArticle IIofGATT 1947 toenable the
Government ofGuatemala tocarry outtheprocess oftransposition oftheconcessions setforth in
Schedule LXXXVIII intotheHarmonized Commodity Nomenclature;
Taking intoaccount thatbysuccessive Decisions, thetime-limit ofthewaiver granted to
Guatemala hasbeenextended until30June19963;
Taking intoaccount thatGuatemala 'snewCustoms Tariff based ontheHarmonized Commodity
Description andCoding System came intoforce on1March 1993, andreplaces theCentral American
Uniform Tariff Nomenclature;
Considering thatthefootnote toAnnex IA,Section onGATT 1994, subparagraph 1(b)(iii)
oftheAgreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization requires theMinisterial Conference to
establish atitsfirstsession arevised listofwaivers granted under Article XXV ofGATT 1947 and
stillinforce onthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement;
Considering thatbyaDecision of31January 19954theGeneral Council established alistof
waivers existing attheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, which included thewaiver granted
toGuatemala fortheestablishment ofanewSchedule LXXXVIII;
Considering thatparagraph 2oftheUnderstanding inRespect ofWaivers ofObligations under
theGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 provides thatanywaiver ineffect onthedateof
entryintoforceoftheWTOAgreementshallterminateunlessextendedinaccordancewiththeprocedures
setoutinparagraph 1oftheaforementioned Understanding andthose ofArticle IXofthe
WTO Agreement onthedateofitsexpiry ortwoyears from thedateofentry intoforce ofthe
WTO Agreement, whichever isearlier;
./.
1AdoptedinaccordancewiththeDecision-MakingProceduresunderArticlexIXandXIIoftheWTOAgreemen t
agreed bytheGeneral Council (WT/L/93).
2L/7405
3WT/L/116.
4WT/L/3 andCorr.1.WT/L/172
Page2
Taking intoaccount thatthenecessary documentation fortheholding oftheconsultations has
beensubmitted andcirculated indocument G/SECRET/HS/6 andthree countries havereserved their
righttoconduct negotiations;
Considering thatinorder toimplement theprocedures established bytheCouncil Decision
of12July1983 fortherectification andrenegotiation oftheschedules ofconcessions negotiated in
GATT under theHarmonized System andtoholdconsultations under Article XXVIII, theGovernment
ofGuatemala, having fulfilled therequirements ofparagraph 1oftheUnderstanding inRespect of
Waivers ofObligations under theGATT 1994, hasrequested afurther extension ofthewaiver ofits
obligations under Article IIoftheGATT 19945;
TheGeneral Council, acting pursuant totheprovisions ofArticle IXoftheWTO Agreement,
Decides, inviewoftheexceptional circumstances outlined above, toextend thewaiver granted
toGuatemala bytheDecision of26January 1994 until30April 1997.
5G/L/86.