135. The representative of Bolivia said that the Secretariat summary paper allowed Members to see that geographical indications were a subject of interest for many Members. Bolivia was a member of the Andean Community and, consequently, its legal regime for the protection of geographical indications was governed by the relevant Andean Community decisions including, in particular, Decision No. 486 of the Commission of the Cartagena Agreement Establishing the Common Industrial Property Regime, which would enter into force on 1 December 2000. He wished to stress the importance for his delegation of geographical indications, not just those for wines and spirits but also those for other products, and its support for the joint paper that had been introduced by Switzerland under the previous agenda item. He would also like to leave on record that the extension of the Article 23 type of protection to other product areas was an issue to be discussed within the framework of the TRIPS Council, i.e. within the framework of intellectual property. For his delegation, it would be difficult to establish a link between the issues under discussion in the TRIPS Council and negotiations ongoing in other WTO bodies.
