THIRD MEETING OF THE
FTAA NEGOTIATING GROUP
ON SERVICES
Miami, April 12-15, 1999
PRESS RELEASE
The third meeting of the FTAA Negotiating
Group on Services – NGS, was held April 12-15, 1999, in Miami.
The meeting began with an analysis of the six elements of consensus on
services that the NGS had agreed upon during the preparatory phase of
the FTAA. These include: sectoral coverage, most-favored nation
treatment, market access, national treatment, denial of benefits, and
transparency. These six elements, among others, will constitute part of
a hemispheric agreement on Trade in Services within the context of the
FTAA.
The NGS analyzed several contributions by delegations covering the needs
and interests of smaller economies and alternative liberalization
mechanisms for services. A document containing an inventory of
Provisions on Trade in Services in Trade and Integration Agreements of
the Western Hemisphere was also discussed.
A presentation was made to the Group by a representative of the
Inter-American Committee on Telecommunications – CITEL, on the
organization, nature of work, and achievements of this organization in
the area of telecommunications.
The Group was informed of the “Conference on Trade in Services and the
Americas” that will be held in San José, Costa Rica, July 8-9, 1999.
This conference will be hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa
Rica and co-sponsored by the Organization of American States and the
Institute for Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean/
Inter-American Development Bank.
The next meeting of the FTAA Negotiating Group on Services will take
place in Miami July 12-15, 1999.
Attached to this press release is the agenda for the third meeting
List of countries present: Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela |