STATEMENTS BY U.S. AMBASSADOR RITA HAYES
AT WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY MEETING
Geneva, March 12, 2001

1) In response to the EC statement on Item 1(a): Surveillance of Implementation - EC Banana Regime:

" It is unfortunate that the EC is moving forward with a first-come-first-served system, as indicated in the report it has submitted for this DSB meeting. The EC will not resolve this long-standing dispute by implementing a first-come, first-served system. We continue to urge EC member States to reconsider their position on this issue."

2) On Item 3: Belgium - Administration of Measures Establishing Customs Duties for Rice (WT/DS210): Request for Establishment of a Panel by the United States:

" The United States is requesting the establishment of a panel to examine measures of the Government of Belgium relating to the imposition of customs duties on imports of U.S. rice. The DSB previously considered a request by the United States for the establishment of a panel (WT/DS210/2) at its 1 February 2001 meeting. At that meeting, Belgium raised procedural concerns regarding the U.S. panel request. While the United States understands that Belgium raised these concerns in good faith, the United States does not consider them to have been well-founded. However, the United States has revised its panel request in an effort to accommodate Belgium's concerns.

"Accordingly, today the United States is asking the DSB to consider a new request for the establishment of a panel that provides additional details on the specific measures at issue. The United States has provided dates and reference numbers for examples of correspondence issued by the Belgian customs authorities that indicate the particular shipments at issue and demonstrate the Belgian customs authorities' ongoing rejection of transaction values for purposes of establishing the relevant customs values.

"We hope that with this revised request we can move on to consideration of the merits of the issue and begin panel We hope that with this revised request we can move on to proceedings to determine whether Belgium has breached its WTO obligations."

3) On Item 6: EC Anti-Dumping Duties on Imports of Cotton-Type Bed Linen From India: Report of the Appellate Body (WT/DS141/AB/R) and Report of the Panel (WT/DS141/R):

"The United States is concerned by the decision reached by the Appellate Body and is monitoring the situation carefully. In particular, the standard of review goes to the very heart of the dispute settlement system. The United States has grave concerns about whether, in this case, the Appellate Body properly applied the special standard of review found in Article 17.6(ii) of the Anti-Dumping Agreement."