U.S. SEEKS POSTPONEMENT OF WAIVER VOTE ON CARIBBEAN.

Nov 28, 1984

U.S. SEEKS POSTPONEMENT OF WAIVER VOTE ON CARIBBEAN.

GENEVA, NOVEMBER 27 (IFDA/CHAKRAVARTHI RAGHAVAN) -- The United States was reported Tuesday to be seeking to put off a vote by the GATT Contracting Parties on the U.S. request for a waiver in respect of its Caribbean basin initiative.-

The U.S., GATT sources said, was now seeking to postpone any action, and remit the issue to the Council.-

The U.S. move would appear to be prompted by the fears that if the U.S. request for waiver is put to vote at the current annual meeting of the GATT Contracting Parties, the waiver request may not obtain the necessary votes.-

Under article XXV of the General Agreement, the waiver request needs a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and the affirmative votes of one-half of GATT’s current 91 members.-

With Third World countries generally concerned over the implications of the U.S. Caribbean basin initiative and its violation of GATT principles as well as the concepts of generalised system of preferences favouring all Third World countries without discrimination or reciprocity, there were already some who would have at least abstained.-

But with many Third World delegates now angry and irritated over U.S. tactics at the current meeting of the CPs, and its "arm-twisting" generally, this abstention vote might increase.-

Enough abstentions would itself be enough to kill the U.S. request.-

If the U.S. request for postponement is accepted - and requires the unanimous consent of all CPs - and the issue remitted to the GATT Council, the U.S. would then be able to ask for the approval of the CPs by poll.-

In such an event, some Third World diplomats said, the U.S. would be able to exercise considerable bilateral pressures in capitals, and "collect" the affirmative votes of the countries and bring it to Geneva for depositing in GATT, thus making sure there are neither abstentions nor absentees.-