181. The representative of Argentina reiterated her delegation's support for the African Group proposal which should be the basis for the negotiation of the amendment. The elements included in that proposal deserved careful attention. She agreed that certain aspects should not form part of the amendment because they were not relevant. For example, paragraph 6(ii) on regional patent systems had nothing to do with the system established by the Decision. Her delegation was also concerned about the Chairman's Statement and was not in a position to accept a change of its legal status. At the time of adoption of the Decision, the Chairman of the General Council had formulated the statement on his own responsibility, but it was not part of the agreement amongst Members. The Decision was the only existing agreement amongst Members. Considering the importance of this process for all WTO Members, informal consultations carried out by the Chairman needed to be organized with the greatest degree of transparency and inclusiveness. As regards the asterisked note in the Decision, she supported the statement by the delegation of Brazil according to which this note should be removed so that the text of the Decision would be identical to the one adopted in August 2003.
