Friday 6 November 1992

Geneva 5 Dec (TWN) -- The European Community agreed Thursday, after an hour-long procedural debate in the GATT Council, to recognize Argentina's negotiating rights in the EC's efforts to modify its schedule of zero-tariffs on oilseeds.

While the US-EC dispute had taken the center stage in the Council, the Argentinean request for a panel to establish its rights which the EC had so far denied came up on Thursday morning, almost in an anti-climax.

After an hour's procedural debate, the EC acceded to the Argentine request.

The Argentine view is based on the fact that its exports of soybean to the European Community market was taking an increasing share of its total exports of this commodity. In 1990 its exports to the EC was worth 1.03 billion ECUs against a total Argentine export of 9.7 billion ECUs, while in 1991 it had gone up to 1.41 billion ECUs against a total of 9.6 billion.