IRAN TO START WTO ACCESSION TALKS
Iran is to start membership negotiations with the WTO, after the US chose not to block Iran’s request for accession at a 26 May meeting of the WTO General Council. The General Council duly established a Working Party on Iran’s accession and granted the country observer status, which allows it to sit in on all WTO meetings.
The US, which had prevented consensus on 22 such requests since 1996, had announced in March that it would drop its longstanding opposition in an effort to support attempts by the UK, France, and Germany to persuade Iran to renounce its suspected attempts to develop nuclear weapons in return for a package of economic incentives, including WTO membership.
The decision to start accession talks does not mean that Iran will soon become a Member of the WTO. Membership negotiations can take years. Iran, home to the world’s second-largest reserves of crude oil, will have to carry out far-reaching economic reforms; it must also negotiate bilateral agreements with all Members that wish to do so to in order to secure their support for its membership.
Mohammad Reza Alborzi, Iran’s Ambassador to the Geneva-based international organisations, welcomed the decision, saying "today this house… has done service to itself by correcting a wrong." A number of Member delegations expressed satisfaction that Iran had been allowed to start Membership talks.
The same meeting of the General Council also established a Working Party for the accession of Sao Tomé and Principe.
ICTSD reporting; "Accession working parties established for Iran, Sao Tomé and Principe," WTO NEWS, 26 May 2005; "Trade Group to Start Talks to Admit Iran," NEW YORK TIMES, 27 May 2005; "Iran’s WTO bid requires expansion of electronic commerce," ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NEWS AGENCY, 29 May 2005; "WTO Clears Iran to Start Membership talks," ASSOCIATED PRESS, 26 May 2005.
WTO BIOTECH CASE DELAYED UNTIL AUGUST
The Chair of the dispute settlement panel considering the complaint brought by the US, Canada and Argentina against what they argue is a de facto EU moratorium on approving new genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has said that the panel will not issue its preliminary ruling until 5 August 2005. The complainants allege that the EU’s failure to approve of any GMOs between 1998 and 2004 constitutes a de facto moratorium that, along with marketing and import bans within the EU, is not scientifically justified and thus contrary to WTO rules.
Chair Christian Haeberli told the parties to the dispute in mid-May that the delay was necessary because of the large volume of information that the panel had to examine, including information from specialists and experts. The panel report was originally expected in September 2004 but has been repeatedly delayed by difficulties in choosing panel members and a decision to seek expert advice on technical and scientific issues raised in the dispute (see BRIDGES Weekly, 1 September 2004). Haberli had told WTO Members in November 2004 that the panel was expected to deliver its final ruling to the parties by the end of June 2005.
ICTSD reporting; "WTO Panel Notifies Further Delay For Ruling On Bioengineered Foods," WTO REPORTER, 19 May 2005.