101. The representative of Malaysia said that his delegation, like other delegations, understood that what Article 27.3(b) essentially called for was a review of the provisions and not a review of their implementation. As far as his delegation was concerned, it would go by the English version of the TRIPS Agreement, even though he accepted that both the English and the French versions were equally genuine. He recalled that, at the meeting in December 1998, when the Council had agreed to the information-gathering exercise, several delegations had stated that the exercise would be without prejudice as to how the review would proceed. This would be just a first step in the review, because Members needed to know what had been done regarding the implementation of Article 27.3(b). As for the need for informal meetings to discuss this matter, a decision should not be made before the July meeting.
