INTERNATIONAL DAIRY ARRANGEMENT PREAMBLE Recognizing the importance of milk and dairy products to the economy of many countries (1) in terms of production, trade and consumption;Recognizing the need, in the mutual interests of producers and consumers, and of exporters and importers, to avoid surpluses and shortages, and to maintain prices at an equitable level;Noting the diversity and interdependence of dairy products;Noting the situation in the dairy products market, which is characterized by very wide fluctuations and the proliferation of export and import measures;Considering that improved cooperation in the dairy products sector contributes to the attainment of the objectives of expansion and liberalization of world trade, and the implementation of the principles and objectives concerning developing countries agreed upon in the Tokyo Declaration of Ministers dated 14 September 1973 concerning the Multilateral Trade Negotiations;Determined to respect the principles and objectives of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (hereinafter referred to as 'General Agreement' or 'GATT') (2) and, in carrying out the aims of this Arrangement, effectively to implement the principles and objectives agreed upon in the said Tokyo Declaration;The participants to the present Arrangement have, through their representatives, agreed as follows:PART ONE GENERAL PROVISIONS Article IObjectivesThe objectives of this Arrangement shall be, in accordance with the principles and objectives agreed upon in the Tokyo Declaration of Ministers dated 14 September 1973 concerning the Multilateral Trade Negotiations,- to achieve the expansion and ever greater liberalization of world trade in dairy products under market conditions as stable as possible, on the basis of mutual benefit to exporting and importing countries;- to further the economic and social development of developing countries.Article IIProducts Coverage1. This Arrangement applies to the dairy products sector. For the purpose of this Arrangement, the term 'dairy products' is deemed to include the following products, as defined in the Customs Cooperation Council Nomenclature:CCCN(a) Milk and cream, fresh, not concentrated or sweetened04.01(b) Milk and cream, preserved, concentrated or sweetened04.02(c) Butter04.03(d) Cheese and curd04.04(e) Caseinex 35.012. The International Dairy Products Council established in terms of Article VII: 1(a) of this Arrangement (hereinafter referred to as the Council) may decide that the Arrangement is to apply to other products in which dairy products referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article have been incorporated if it deems their inclusion necessary for the implementation of the objectives and provisions of this Arrangement.Article IIIInformation1. The participants agree to provide regularly and promptly to the Council the information required to permit it to monitor and assess the overall situation of the world market for dairy products and the world market situation for each individual dairy product.2. Participating developing countries shall furnish the information available to them. In order that these participants may improve their data collection mechanisms, developed participants, and any developing participants able to do so, shall consider sympathetically any request to them for technical assistance.3. The information that the participants undertake to provide pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Article, according to the modalities that the Council shall establish, shall include data on past performance, current situation and outlook regarding production, consumption, prices, stocks and trade, including transactions other than normal commercial transactions, in respect of the products referred to in Article II of this Arrangement, and any other information deemed necessary by the Council. Participants shall also provide information on their domestic policies and trade measures, and on their bilateral, plurilateral or multilateral commitments, in the dairy sector and shall make known, as early as possible, any changes in such policies and measures that are likely to affect international trade in dairy products. The provisions of this paragraph shall not require any participant to disclose confidential information which would impede law enforcement or otherwise be contrary to the public interest or would prejudice the legitimate commercial interests of particular enterprises, public or private.Note: It is understood that under the provisions of this Article, the Council instructs the secretariat to draw up, and keep up to date, an inventory of all measures affecting trade in dairy products, including commitments resulting from bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral negotiations.Article IVFunctions of the International Dairy Products Council and Cooperation between the Participants to this Arrangement1. The Council shall meet in order to:(a) make an evaluation of the situation in and outlook for the world market for dairy products, on the basis of a status report prepared by the secretariat with the documentation furnished by participants in accordance with Article III of this Arrangement, information arising from the operation of the Protocols covered by Article VI of this Arrangement, and any other information available to it;(b) review the functioning of this Arrangement.2. If after an evaluation of the world market situation and outlook referred to in paragraph 1(a) of this