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3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, Members mayenter into agreements with non-Members in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 15 or of paragraph 6 of Article 44. 4. Nothing in this Charter shall be interpreted to require a Member to accord to non-Member countries treatment as favourable as that which it accords to Member countries under the provisions of the Charter,, and failure to accord such treatment shall not be regarded as inconsistent with the terms or the spirit of the Charter. 5. The Executive Board shall make periodic studies of general problems arising out of the commercial relations between Member and non-Member countries and, with a view to promoting the purpose of the Charter, may make recommendations to the Conference with respect to such relations. Any recommendation involving alterations in the provisions of this Article shall be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of Article 100. Article 99 General Exceptions 1. Nothing in this Charter shall be construed (a) To require a Member to furnish any information the disclosure of which it considers contrary to its essential security interests ; or (b) To prevent a Member from taking, either singly or with other States, any action which it considers necessary for the protection of its essential security interests, where such action (i) Relates to fissionable materials or to the materials from which they are derived, or (ii) Relates to the traffic in arms, ammunition or implements of war or to traffic in other goods and materials, carried on directly or indirectly for the purpose of supplying a military establishment of the Member or of any other country, or (iii) Is taken in time of war or other emergency in international relations; or (ic) To prevent a Member from entering into or carrying out any inter-governmental agreement (or other agreement on behalf of a government for the purpose specified in this subparagraph) made by or for a military establishment for the purpose of meeting essential requirements of the national security of one or more of the participating countries; or (d) To prevent action taken in accordance with the provisions of Annex M to this Charter.