UNITED STATES - TARIFF RATE QUOTA FOR IMPORTS
OF
GROUNDNUTS
Request
for Consultations by Argentina
The following
communication, dated 19 December 1997, from the Permanent Mission of Argentina
to the Permanent Mission of the United States and to the Dispute Settlement
Body, is circulated in accordance with Article 4.4 of the DSU.
_______________
I have the honour to
contact you on instruction from my Government to request consultations with the
United States pursuant to Article 4 of the Understanding on Rules and
Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU), Article XXII:1 of the
GATT 1994, Article 19 of the Agreement on Agriculture, Article 7 of the
Agreement on Rules of Origin and Article 6 of the Agreement on Import Licensing
Procedures with respect to the trade damage sustained by my country as a result
of the way in which the United States administers the tariff-rate quota for the
import of groundnuts (peanuts) for confectionary and peanut paste negotiated
between the two Governments during the Uruguay Round.
The Government of Argentina
considers that the particularly narrow interpretation by the United States both
of the obligation contained in its national schedule and of the requirements
for Argentina to benefit fully from the concessions granted, nullifies or
impairs the benefits accruing to Argentina directly or indirectly under the
GATT 1994 and various WTO Agreements, and impedes its attainment of the
objectives of those Agreements and of the GATT 1994.