88. The representative of Mexico said that her delegation considered it very important for the Council to make progress in the preliminary work on the establishment of a multilateral system of notification and registration for wines and spirits in accordance with Article 23.4 and also the mandate given by the Singapore Ministerial Conference. Her delegation considered that the EC proposal constituted a useful foundation for the work and had listened to the comments of other delegations on that proposal. Her delegation had also received the joint proposal from Japan and the United States, which it considered provided a new approach and elements which were worthy of further analysis. Mexico would provide detailed comments later on both proposals and, as indicated earlier, was preparing its own proposal, which it hoped to present shortly. She hoped that it would enrich the discussion on the subject further and that a consensus could be generated on the issue of fulfilling the mandate received under Article 23.4. As far as the scope of the system was concerned, in accordance with Article 23.4, the Singapore Ministerial Declaration and Article 24.1 of the TRIPS Agreement, Members were required to undertake negotiations for the improved protection of geographical indications under Article 23, which referred to and covered both wines and spirits. In the light of these provisions, her delegation considered that there clearly existed a basis for this system to cover both types of products, without excluding the possibility of considering the extension of the system to new products in the future.
