XN000022-1996-06-29+30 — Page 4

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"During the consultations, we will try and see whether we can work out something with the US, in place of the unilateral measures that the US has imposed on us."

Hong Kong has found the US measures discriminatory and that they had been introduced unilaterally without any prior consultations with Hong Kong nor adequate prior notice.

"The measures have been introduced without prior discussion with us to seek to establish the facts about the perceived problems of transhipment in Hong Kong," the spokesman said.

"The measures are disruptive to our trade and they affect both legitimate and illegitimate traders indiscriminately.

"Since the implementation of the new measures on June 17, we have been receiving reports from the trade that already there have been cancellation of orders and other adverse effects on trade."

If bilateral consultations failed to produce a satisfactory solution, Hong Kong would reserve its rights to raise the matter with the World Trade Organisation, the spokesman added.

End

WTO maritime talks suspended for four years

Negotiating parties in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva agreed on Saturday (June 29) to suspend negotiations on maritime transport services after a two-year effort failed to produce an agreement on global liberalisation in the maritime

sector.

Talks will be resumed with the commencement of the next round of comprehensive negotiations on trade in services, scheduled to start not later than January 1, 2000. It is agreed that the parties will resume the negotiations on the basis of their existing or improved offers.

The negotiating parties have also agreed on a "peace clause" under which they would not apply any trade-restrictive measures except in response to measures applied by other members.