20 January 1994

(94-0123)

CONTRACTING PARTIES

Forty-Ninth Session

January 1994

INFORMATION CIRCULAR

1. MEETINGS

2. HOURS OF MEETINGS

3. INTERPRETATION

4. PREPARED SPEECHES

5. TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS AND RECEPTION DESK

6. REGISTRATION DESK

7. SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

8. ADMISSION BADGES

9. PUBLIC TRANSPORT

10. TAXIS

11. PARKING

12. FACILITIES OFFERED AT THE CONFERENCE CENTRE

ANNEXES: I. (A) ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION

(B) SECRETARIAT

II. GATT MEMBERSHIP

1. MEETINGS

The Forty-Ninth Session of the CONTRACTING PARTIES will be held in the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG), rue de Varembé, Geneva (Tel:  791.91.11).

The opening meeting will be on Tuesday, 25 January 1994 at 3 p.m.

The plenary meetings will take place in Conference Room I on level "H" of the Conference Centre. For security reasons delegations will have access to the Conference Room through one door only (next to lifts 2 and 3).

The other conference rooms in the Centre will be used by another organization during the entire period of the GATT Session.

2. HOURS OF MEETINGS

Subject to such adjustments as may be necessary, the hours of plenary meetings will be:

Tuesday, 25 January 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Wednesday, 26 January 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

and 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Thursday, 27 January

3. INTERPRETATION

Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French and Spanish.

4. PREPARED SPEECHES

In relation to the preparation of statements under Item 1, Activities of GATT, it will be recalled that statements at Sessions of the CONTRACTING PARTIES have by practice been kept short. The Chairman has requested that delegates aim not to exceed five minutes, which normally represents about two pages typed in single spacing. This limit does not preclude delegations from circulating a more comprehensive statement at a later stage, if they so wish.

The task of the Secretariat, in particular of the interpreters, the Summary Records Officer and the Information Officer, will be greatly facilitated if five copies of the texts are supplied to the Summary Records Officer as long in advance as possible.

Unless instructions to the contrary are received from the delegations concerned, original texts of prepared statements will be made available to the Press immediately after delivery, and when issued as documents, will not be restricted.

5. TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS AND RECEPTION DESK

A Reception Desk will be situated near the entrance of Room I (near lifts 2 and 3).

During plenary meetings, delegates who are requested on the telephone, or for whom there is a message, will be called out of the meeting room to one of the telephones situated near the meeting room.

All incoming calls should be made to the following telephone numbers:

Reception Desk: 791.96.18

791.96.14

Conference Ushers: 791.96.00

791.96.17

6. REGISTRATION DESK

A Registration Desk will be installed in the Conference Centre near Room I, on "H" level at the top of the escalators. Messages for delegations can be accepted at this Desk which will be staffed permanently during conference hours.

Telephone numbers: 791.96.12

7. SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

The following security measures have been taken in the interest of all delegations.

Access to the conference sector will be refused to anyone not wearing a badge.

Access to the Conference Room will be possible by the escalators and lifts 2 and 3. The entrance doors to the Conference Room on the BAR side will be closed at all levels.

Registration will take place at the top of the escalator.

8. ADMISSION BADGES

Delegates who are not already in possession of an Identity Badge issued by the GATT are kindly requested to contact Mr. Wisping (Office No. 61) of the Identification Office in the Centre William Rappard who will issue such badges to duly accredited representatives.

Badges will also be made available — against deposit of an identification document — at the Registration Desk at the Conference Centre.

9. PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Because of its proximity to the rue de Vermont and the Place des Nations, the Conference Centre is served by bus lines 5, 8, 11, 14, 18, F, V and Z.

10. TAXIS

The nearest taxi rank is situated at 37-39, rue de Vermont (ABC Taxis, Tel: 794.71.11). Taxis at the Place des Nations can be called by dialling 33.141.33.

11. PARKING

No parking is allowed in the vicinity of the Conference Centre. The roundabout in front of the main entrance of the Centre will be used only for unloading and loading passengers.

Chauffeur-driven official cars are requested not to remain parked in the vicinity of the entrance to the Conference Centre, but to leave the area and return only just before the expected end of the meeting.

An extremely limited number of entry cards, giving free access to the underground garage "Parking des Nations" are at the disposal of delegations. Only one entry card will be made available to each delegation. These cards can be collected from Mrs. Bouviala (Office No. 59) in the Centre William Rappard, as from Monday, 24 January. Delegates wishing to use the "Parking des Nations" will be asked for a deposit of Swf 50 upon receipt of the entry card. This amount will be refunded upon return of the card to the GATT Secretariat.

Delegations are requested to return these entry cards to Mrs. Bouviala without fail by Monday, 31 January at the latest.

12. FACILITIES OFFERED AT THE CONFERENCE CENTRE

(a) Post and Telecommunications

There is a Post Office on the ground floor of the Conference Centre:

Hours: 7.30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

1.45 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Tel: 734.28.83

(b) Bank

An office of the Union Bank of Switzerland is located next to the Post Office.

Hours: 8 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.

Tel: 733.75.25

(c) Medical Service

Delegations are informed that a Medical Service is situated behind the bar on the ground floor which will be attended during the hours of the plenary meetings.

Tel: 791.93.70

Office No. G-298

(d) Cloakroom

The cloakroom for the use of participants is situated in the main entrance hall of the Conference Centre.

(e) Restaurant, Cafeteria and Bars

Hours: Restaurant: 11.30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Cafeteria: 11.30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Bars: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

(f) News-stand

A news-stand and tobacconist will be open during meeting hours.

ANNEX I

A. ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION

Office Tel.

Mr. P. Barthel-Rosa Secretary. 2009 5191

Director, Session, Council,

Related Bodies and Trade

and Development Division

Mr. C. Mercier Summary Records Officer. 2007 5225

Counsellor, Session, Council,

Related Bodies and Trade

and Development Division

Mrs. S. Niklaus Conference Officer 14 5241

B. SECRETARIAT

Mr. P.D. Sutherland Director-General 1010 5100

Mr. W. Lavorel Deputy Director-General 1020 5300

Mr. A. Hoda Deputy Director-General 2013 5200

Mr. J. Seade Deputy Director-General 1026 5500

Mr. K. Broadbridge Assistant Director-General 3017 5400

Mr. A. Hussain Assistant Director-General 2079 5066

Mr. A. Lindén Assistant Director-General 2003 5076

Special Advisor to the

Director-General

Mr. R. O'Toole Assistant Director-General 1008 5510

for Coordination, Chef de Cabinet

Mr. M. Raffaelli Chairman 1043 5093

Office Tel.

Mr. F. Alcoba-Enciso Director, Translation and 3065 5660

Documentation Division

Mr. R. Blackhurst Director, Economic Research 2030 5630

and Analysis Unit

Mr. A. Campeas Director, Tariff Division 1074 5650

Mr. J. Chabert Director, Finance and General 3020 5036

Service Division

Mr. R. Eglin Director, Technical Barriers to 3023 5148

Trade and Trade and Environment

Division

Mr. A. Frank Director, External Relations 2049 5152

Division

Mr. M. Hamid Director of Training RL604 5172

Mr. D. Hartridge Director, Group of Negotiations 2046 5072

on Services Division

Mr. J.-M. Léger Director, Statistics and M01 5193

Information Systems Division

Mr. H. Opelz Director, Non-Tariff Measures 3010 5020

Division

Mr. A. Otten Director, Policy Affairs Division 3015 5136

Mr. F. Roessler Director, Legal Affairs Division 2026 5117

Mr. P. Rolian Chief of Personnel, Director 3031 5670

of Personnel Office

Mr. M. Saleem Director, Technical Cooperation 2039 5199

Division

Mr. G. Sampson Director, Regional and Preferential 3007 5147

Trade, and Trade and Finance

Division

Mr. J.-E. Sørensen Director, Textiles Division 1045 5237

Mr. P. Tulloch Director, Trade Policy Review 1059 5089

Mr. F. Wolter Director, Agriculture and 1036 5218

Commodities Division

Mr. D. Woods Director, Information and Media 20 5015

Relations Division

Division

Mr. J. Woznowski Director, GATT Rules Division 1022 5112

ANNEX II

GATT MEMBERSHIP AS AT 17 JANUARY 1994

Contracting parties to the GATT (115)

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bolivia

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei Darussalam

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

Colombia

Congo, Rep. of the

Costa Rica

Côte d'Ivoire

Cuba

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Egypt

El Salvador

Fiji

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Kenya

Korea, Rep. of

Kuwait

Lesotho

Luxembourg

Macau

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar, Union of

Namibia

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Norway

Pakistan

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Rwanda

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovak Republic

South Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

St. Lucia

St. Vincent and

the Grenadines

Suriname

Swaziland, Kingdom of

Sweden

Switzerland

Tanzania

Thailand

Togo

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Uganda

United Kingdom

United States of America

Uruguay

Venezuela

Yugoslavia

Zaire

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Countries to whose territories the GATT has been applied and which now, as independent States, maintain a de facto application of the GATT pending final decisions as to their future commercial policy (19).

Algeria Guinea-Bissau Seychelles

Angola Kiribati Solomon Islands

Bahamas Papua New Guinea Tonga

Cambodia Qatar Tuvalu

Cape Verde St. Kitts and Nevis United Arab Emirates

Equatorial Guinea Sao Tomé and Principe Yemen

Grenada