92. The representative of the European Communities felt that the Council was in a slightly confusing and ambiguous situation. He noted first that the communication from Cuba, Honduras, Paraguay and Venezuela was a proposal which, in the title, was linked to Article 71.1 of the Agreement. On the other hand, as the delegation of the United States had pointed out, a mandate had been sought from the Seattle Ministerial Conference. Secondly, he noted that the issue of traditional knowledge had also been discussed in the context of Article 27.3(b). He stated that there was some ambiguity as to how the Council could or should deal with such issues. He wondered whether the Council could deal with such issues under the third sentence of Article 71.1, as had been implied in the discussion. He requested that the Council reflect further on this situation and revert to the question of how to deal with Article 71 at its next meeting. He stated that he did not see how the Council could make much progress at the present meeting and address these issues properly so that it could reach conclusions.
