May 3, 1985
NO COMMON PROPOSALS FOR RBP REVIEW MEET.
GENEVA, MAY 1 (IFDA/CHAKRAVARTHI RAGHAVAN) -- The forthcoming UN Review conference on the set of multilaterally agreed principles and rules for the control of Restrictive Business Practices, or "the set", will not have any agreed proposals before it.-An Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) on Restrictive business Practices (RBPs), concluded Tuesday a week-long meeting, unable to reconcile the differences among regional groups on the proposals to be put before the Review Conference, set for November 1985.- Separate proposals of the Group of 77, the OECD countries, the Socialists, and china, are all be remitted to the Conference, as agreed by the IGE.- A major issue of difference is the Group of 77 view that "the set", which is now merely a recommendatory set of guidelines, should be made a legally binding instrument.- While the OECD Group’s proposals are silent on this, in the discussions in the IGE, the group took the position that there has been "insufficient experience" since the adoption of the set in 1980, to warrant changes of a fundamental nature.- In the Group of 77 view however, the harmful effects of the RBPs in international trade, the proliferation of such practices by enterprises, often with the knowledge and connivance of governments, and the general agreement within the IGE about the non-implementation and non-effectiveness of the set, warranted international measures, such as making the set a legally binding instrument.- The Socialist group in its proposals has said the main cause of the insufficient effectiveness of the set lay in unwillingness of a number of states to adequately fulfil their obligations in accordance with the set.- The main proposal of the OECD countries has been that future meetings of the IGE should be used as a mechanism for informal technical discussion and exchange of views among experts on the set and its implementation.- Another area of difference has been in regard to multilateral technical assistance for implementation of the set, as envisaged in the set.- No funds have so far been found for this purpose.- The Group of 77 wants the UN General Assembly to provide funds for this purpose.- The OECD countries, while emphasising the bilateral assistance they provide, have suggested proposals should be developed for multilateral assistance within facilities available to UNCTAD, or in conjunction with other relevant organisations.- The Socialists group would have the Secretary-General of UNCTAD "take effective measures for more vigorous implementation on a multilateral basis of technical assistance, advisory and training programmes".-