111. The representative of Australia recalled that there was a long tradition in the GATT and the WTO, according to which the Secretariat should never comment on legal matters nor be placed in a position of having to take such responsibility. He recalled a particular case where the Secretariat had inadvertently changed a paper, leading to quite a significant controversial debate. It would therefore be highly inappropriate to place the Secretariat in a position where it must be involved in a discussion as to whether a notification was consistent with the definition of a GI or otherwise fell within one of the Article 24 exceptions.
