US embassy cable - 05GENEVA844

UNCLAS GENEVA 000844 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PASS USTR FOR ALLGEIER AND DWOSKIN 
EB/OT FOR CRAFT 
USDA FOR FAS/ITP/SHEIKH, MTND/HENKE 
USDOC FOR ITA/JACOBS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD WTRO USTR, Trade 
SUBJECT: MEETING OF THE WTO GENERAL COUNCIL - MARCH 31, 2005 
 
 
1.  The General Council agreed on March 31, 2005 to extend by 
three months (until July 30, 2005) the time period for Members to 
negotiate compensation or withdraw concessions of their own in 
response to the EC's withdrawal of concessions as a result of EU 
enlargement to its new membership of 25.  The meeting was short 
and transpired as expected, with the General Council taking note 
of the EC's communication in G/L/695/Add.1/Rev.1 and adopting the 
decision reached in the Council for Trade in Goods on March 11, 
in which Members agreed to extend to fifteen months the time 
period for Members that previously submitted a claim for 
compensatory adjustment under Article XXIV:6 to withdraw 
substantially equivalent concessions under Article XXVIII:3, on 
the understanding that Members in need of a further extension may 
raise the matter again at the May session of the Council for 
Trade in Goods. 
 
2.  Two delegations - the Philippines and Indonesia - took the 
floor to express concern that only "affected Members" were 
covered by the scope of the EC communication.  They expressed 
"systemic concerns" about the process being used to withdraw 
concessions, with the Philippines referring to its statements 
made at the October 20, 2004 meeting of the General Council and 
the October 1, 2004 meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods. 
Both representatives emphasized that the General Council decision 
has no legal effect on the rights and obligations of Members 
apart from extending the deadline for rebalancing commitments as 
set out in the EC communication. 
3.  The next General Council meeting is set for May 26-27, 2005, 
with an airgram on or about May 12.  Deily