Public
FTAA.ngds/com/15
March 19, 2002
Original: English
FTAA - NEGOTIATING GROUP ON
DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
Fifteenth Meeting
Panama, February 25-27, 2002
PRESS COMMUNIQUE
- The Fifteenth Meeting of the Negotiating Group on Dispute Settlement was
held in Panama on February 25-27, 2002. Representatives from nineteen (19)
countries of the Hemisphere were in attendance: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad & Tobago, United States,
Uruguay, and Venezuela.
- The agenda for the meeting that was adopted is attached as
annex.
- All the items on the agenda were considered during the meeting. The NGDS
advanced in its work of eliminating brackets and consolidating text in the draft
chapter on dispute settlement to the maximum extent possible. The Group received
a demonstration of the information available to the public on the official FTAA
web page with respect to commercial arbitration. The Group took note that there
had been one contribution related to dispute settlement received from civil
society in response to the third open invitation to civil society.
- The date of the next meeting of the NGDS has not been scheduled yet.
FTAA - NEGOTIATING GROUP ON DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
Fifteenth Meeting
Panama, February 25-27, 2002
AGENDA
- Approval of the agenda
- Presentation of Proposals
- Finalization of second draft consolidated text
a) Elimination of brackets to the maximum extent possible with respect to provisions related to non-implementation and rules of procedure, consideration of which was deferred at the last (fourteenth) meeting (Articles 36 & 37 and Annexes);
b) Elimination of brackets to the maximum extent possible with respect to other provisions.
- Finalization of submission to the Technical Committee on Institutional Issues
- Preparation of draft report of the NGDS to the TNC
- Relationship with other FTAA entities
- Discussion on how to design mechanisms to facilitate and promote the use of arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution methods
- Other
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