The Protocol of Brasilia on dispute resolution, together with the Treaty of Asuncion for the Constitution of a Common Market among Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (Mercosur) [30 I.L.M. 1044 (1991)] and the Protocol of Ouro Preto on the Institutional Structure of Mercosur [34 I.L.M. 1244 (1995)], forms part of the basic legal framework for the process of economic integration in the Southern cone of Latin America.

Articles 1-14 [The Helms Burton Act is illegal; Cuba is willing to pay adequate and just compensation for expropriated property; such compensation will be denied to persons or corporations that invoke the Helms-Burton Act; currency regulations concerning Cubans living in the U.S.; procedure for filing claims for damages caused by the Batista dictatorship; the aim of Cuba is to block the application of the Helms-Burton Act.

The present Convention applies to uses of international watercourses and of their waters for purposes other than navigation and to measures of protection, preservation and management related to the uses of those watercourses and their waters.

The uses of international watercourses for navigation is not within the scope of the present Convention except insofar as other uses affect navigation or are affected by navigation.

Each person covered by these Rules (as defined in paragraph 1 of Section IV below and hereinafter called “covered person”) shall be independent and impartial, shall avoid direct or indirect conflicts of interest and shall respect the confidentiality of proceedings of bodies pursuant to the dispute settlement mechanism, so that through the observance of such standards of conduct the integrity and impartiality of that mechanism are preserved. These Rules shall in no way modify the rights and obligations of Members under the DSU nor the rules and procedures therein.

On February 16, 1996 the New Zealand Court of Appeal rendered judgment on three applications for judicial review arising out of what had come to be known in New Zealand as the “Winebox Inquiry”. The Inquiry began as the result of certain documents being tabled (in a winebox) before the New Zealand House of Representatives. It was alleged that the documents implicated several New Zealand companies in the evasion of New Zealand income tax by the use of the Cook Islands as a tax haven, and that the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department and Serious Fraud Office had been incompetent at the least in failing to detect and prevent the abuse.

The Heads of State of the OSCE met to assess the situation and establish a cooperative foundation for common security; respect for human rights; early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation; arms control; freedom of the press and media; identification and assessment of security-related economic, social and environmental problems; noting achievements of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina; supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia; noting the improving situations in Moldova and Chechnya; noting the need for further dialogue with Mediterranean partners, Japan and South Korea; future meetings