CONSIDERATION OF GATT BUDGET PUT OFF.

Nov 29, 1984

CONSIDERATION OF GATT BUDGET PUT OFF.

GENEVA, NOVEMBER 27 (IFDA) -- The annual session of the GATT Contracting Parties put off Tuesday the consideration of the budget for GATT for 1985, until later in the week.-

The GATT Council has recommended the adoption of a budget of about 56.5 million Swiss franks for 1985, and its apportionment among Contracting Parties on the basis of their shares in world trade.-

The U.S. share is 14.88 percent or about 8.4 million Swiss franks.-

When the item came up Tuesday afternoon, the chairman of the session, Hans Ewerlof of Sweden, merely announced that "because consultations were continuing he would defer the consideration of the item to later in the week", a GATT spokesman said.-

No further explanations were offered nor was there any discussion, the spokesman added.-

Ewerlof's reference to "consultations" were taken to refer to the "consultations" under way on the GATT work programme relating to the services and counterfeit trade issues, and a way to avoid any "embarrassing" situation, in view of the U.S. position and its efforts to link and create a "package" on the work programme and the budget, participants at the meeting said.-