Aide-Mémoire on the Fourth Andean Community - Mercosur Negotiation Meeting

Lima, November 30, 2001

The Fourth Negotiation Meeting for the creation of a Free Trade Zone between the Andean Community and MERCOSUR took place in Lima on November 29 and 30, 2001.

Annex I contains the Agenda of that Meeting and Annex II the List of Participants.

I. Treatment of the Trade Liberalization Program

The Delegations engaged in a lengthy exchange of comments and opinions with regard to the treatment of sensitive products. The contents of the lists, their significance in terms of the trade involved, and the timeframes for eliminating customs duties on those products were discussed at length.

Also considered was the treatment to be given to products included within the sphere of the Historical Heritage that are listed among the sensitive products.

The parties agreed to continue their discussion of the matter at the next negotiation meeting and decided to exchange their lists of sensitive products by February 1, 2002 at the latest, with detailed timeframes, timetables, and customs duty phase-out schedules, together with the applicable grace periods. The delegations committed themselves to specify what treatment is to be given to the products included in the Historical Heritage.

They also agreed to exchange lists of products for immediate elimination of customs duties and the general customs duty phase-out schedule by the above-cited date.

2. Exchange of Information

The Delegations agreed to resend the information that had been unable to be accessed for technical reasons.

3. Determination of the date and agenda for the next meeting

It was agreed that the next meeting would be held in Buenos Aires on February 19 to 21, 2002 and that it would address the lists of sensitive products and of products in the Historical Heritage that had been exchanged, together with the issue of Origin. In regard to this last subject, MERCOSUR will complete its proposal and send it to the Andean Community no later than February 1, 2002. The Andean Community, for its part, will send MERCOSUR its counterproposal on the matter of Origin by January 18, 2002, at the latest.

The possibility of holding a meeting parallel to the next negotiation meeting, to take up motor vehicle products was considered tentatively.

For the Andean Community Delegation
EDUARDO BRANDES

For the MERCOSUR Delegation
RICARDO NARIO