8. The representative of Australia said that his delegation was looking forward to the opportunity to focus the discussion on the specific texts proposed for a register of geographical indications for wines and spirits. It was his delegation's understanding that the side-by-side document only contained the text of those proposals which the proponents accepted as being within the mandate of the Special Session, namely the mandate contained in Article 23.4 of the TRIPS Agreement and paragraph 18 of the Doha Declaration. He therefore welcomed the fact that all Members agreed to limit the discussions in this way and recalled that such limitation was clearly set out in the cover note of the Secretariat's paper. Although his delegation would already be in a position to make some specific comments and ask questions about certain aspects of the various proposals, particularly in relation to participation and the consequences of registration, it was still going through the documents, and would therefore reserve the right to come back with further questions and points in light of this meeting's discussion. Like New Zealand, his delegation agreed to go through the document issue by issue, but cautioned that, at the end of the day, it would be important to look at the overall shape of any outcome since many of these issues were interlinked.
