Public
FTAA.ngds/com/17
July 16, 2002
Original: English
FTAA - NEGOTIATING GROUP ON
DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
Seventeenth Meeting
Panama, July 15 -16, 2002
PRESS COMMUNIQUE
1. The seventeenth meeting of the Negotiating Group on Dispute
Settlement (NGDS) was held in Panama from July 15-16, 2002. Representatives from
twenty (20) countries of the Hemisphere were in attendance: Argentina, Bahamas,
Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts &
Nevis, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
2. The adopted agenda for the meeting is attached as
annex.
3. All the items on the agenda were considered. The NGDS agreed to forward its
preliminary views on the institutions that will need to be established to
adequately implement the dispute settlement mechanisms established in the FTAA
pursuant to instructions from Ministers (Buenos Aires Ministerial Declaration,
Annex I, section H). The NGDS finalized its report to the Trade Negotiations
Committee, describing the Group’s activities since the Buenos Aires Ministerial
and including a second version of the draft chapter on dispute settlement.
4. Information provided by twenty (20) countries on their respective national
laws on arbitration and/or institutions, is posted on the FTAA web page on
private commercial arbitration at
http://www.ftaa-alca.org/busfac/canale.asp
5. The Group discussed contributions received from civil society in response to
the open invitations to civil society.
6. The date of the next meeting of the NGDS will be scheduled by the TNC.
FTAA - NEGOTIATING GROUP ON DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
Seventeenth Meeting
Panama, July 15 -16, 2002
AGENDA
1. Approval of the agenda
2. Finalization of submission to the Technical Committee on Institutional
Issues
3. Finalization of second draft consolidated text
4. Relationship with other FTAA entities
- Consultative Group on Smaller Economies
5. Contributions from Civil Society
6. Finalization of the report of the NGDS to the Trade Negotiations
Committee
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