COSTA RICA EXPRESSES "NO DIFFERENCES" ON WTO

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000930 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EEB/TPP/MTA:APRATTIPATI PLEASE PASS TO USTR:BNORTON AND COMMERCE:DPAREKH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD PREL PGOV CS SUBJECT: COSTA RICA EXPRESSES "NO DIFFERENCES" ON WTO REMANUFACTURING TEXT REF: STATE 107233 ¶1. Econoff and an official from the Japanese Embassy delivered reftel points to officials of the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX) on October 30. Though the Costa Ricans did not commit to co-sponsor the negotiated text, COMEX officials had "no differences" with the U.S.-Japan-Switzerland proposal. In Costa Rica, manufactured and remanufactured goods receive the same market access: there are no differences. The GOCR does require labeling on goods which distinguishes manufactured from remanufactured goods (per the Consumer Protection Law, number 7472). ¶2. COMEX officials Dr. Francisco Monge Arino, COMEX's Director of Trade Monitoring, and Indiana Trejos, COMEX Advisor, raised one issue with the U.S.-Japanese demarche team. They requested the need for a clear distinction between used goods and remanufactured goods. Though admittedly not as relevant with "hard" goods, the concern focused on donated used goods, particularly clothing that may have been exposed to disease such as dengue fever. Though not mentioned by Monge or Trejos, this concern could be relevant with "hard" goods in the medical field. In this area, the distinction between used and remanufactured can denote a significant difference in safety. ¶3. Advisor Trejos will travel to Geneva for the upcoming week and will consult with COMEX's WTO representative in Geneva. Econoff invited Trejos to attend the November 4 workshop on remanufactured goods. Trejos did not indicate whether she would attend but acknowledged the invitation with interest. Econoff gave COMEX a non-paper of the talking points and anticipates support from the GOCR. BIRDSALL