SOURCE: Antigua Sun

Antigua and Barbuda has filed to have its US$21 million compensation claim addressed this month, during the next sitting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body.

According to Antigua and Barbuda’s attorney at the WTO Mark Mendel, final approval of the compensation claim is virtually a forgone conclusion.

“We just present the request in conformity with the arbitration and, unless every member votes against it, it’s adopted,” he said.

He added that a situation in which every member votes against the adoption of the claim is unlikely, since Antigua and Barbuda, as one of those members, would not vote against its own claim.

Mendel noted that Antigua and Barbuda could apply to have the issue heard at any time, but may choose to proceed as early as this month’s meeting.

He said that Antigua and Barbuda is continuing to assess its options and one consideration is the extent of progress in bilateral talks with the U.S.

Meanwhile, Mendel has joined Minister of Finance and the Economy Dr. Errol Cort in dismissing concerns that WTO permission to suspend U.S. intellectual property rights could lead Antigua and Barbuda to violate other international conventions protecting those rights.

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