Disclosure of Panel Reports

On October 15, Brazil's Ministry of External Relations posted a press release on the Cotton Dispute. The Ministry stated that the final report of the compliance panel "confirms the Brazilian understanding with regard to the insufficiency of the measures taken by the United States to comply with the decisions of the original panel." The press release also states that the "text of the final report is confidential..." Brazil's action in disclosing the contents of a voluntary report seems inappropriate and self-serving.  Since the report has not been released to the public (although it will eventually be released), a government should not comment on it when the public is unable to verify the accuracy of the government's statement. Brazil's actions undermines the WTO because it shows the non-transparency of the DS system.  I don't know if Brazil's measure violates the letter of the DSU but it certainly violates the spirit of the DSU.  I don't see any specific prohibition in the DSU of a party revealing the contents of a non-public final report (or for that matter an interim report).  Perhaps the solution is for the panel to include in its working procedures a prohibition of such premature disclosure.  I looked on the WTO website for the working procedures of the panel and did not see any.