(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar has proposed that banning an imported food item under SPS measure within the framework of Word Trade Organisation rules, or lifting a ban on such a product should be a collective decision of the GCC states and should not be left to any one member state.
GCC countries keep banning imported food products on valid grounds individually and lift the ban when the situation demands.
SPS measure aims to protect humans, animals or plant life from risks arising from the entry, spread or pests, diseases, disease-carrying or causing organisms.
"We should have a unified mechanism for GCC states to ban an imported foodstuff as part of SPS measure or lift it," said Qatar. The proposal was made at a two-day meeting of the GCC Committee on WTO rules held here.
It was chaired by Dr Mohamed Saif Al Kuwari, Assistant Undersecretary for Laboratories and Standardization at Qatar's Ministry of Environment. A statement from the Ministry of Economy and Commerce said the meeting made recommendations, one of which was to unify GCC trade policies until 2017.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.