RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/GC/W/54
14April 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-1590)
GENERAL COUNCIL
24April 1997
MARRAKESH AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
Extension ofTime-Limit forAcceptance oftheAgreement bytheRepublic oftheCongo
Draft Decision
Considering thaton25February 1997 theGovernment oftheRepublic oftheCongo notified
theWorldTradeOrganizationthattheParliamentoftheRepublicoftheCongohasratifiedtheMarrakesh
AgreementEstablishingtheWorldTradeOrganizationwhichitsigned,subjecttoratification,on15April
1994;
Considering thatthetime-limit foracceptance oftheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing the
World Trade Organization expired on1January 1997, twoyears aftertheentry intoforce ofthe
Agreement, asdefined inArticle XIV:1 oftheAgreement;
Considering thattheRepublic oftheCongo istheonlyremaining contracting party toGATT
1947 which waseligible tobecome anOriginal Member oftheWorld Trade Organization before
1January 1997 andwhich isnotyetaMember oftheOrganization,
TheGeneral Council,
Decides toextend, rectroactively, thetime-limit foracceptance bytheRepublic oftheCongo
oftheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization to25February 1997, the
dateofreceiptbytheDirector-GeneralofthenotificationofratificationoftheAgreementbytheRepublic
oftheCongo, whence theRepublic oftheCongo would bedeemed aMember oftheOrganization
asof27March 1997, thirty daysafterreceipt ofthenotification.