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THE OECD COUNTRIES. HE ALSO REFERRED, THOUGH DISCLAIMING TO BE
ITS SPOKESMAN, TO A GROWING FEELING IN THE E.E.C. THAT SLIPPAGE
IN TIMING OF THE OECD WORK IN DRAWING UP A GENERALISED PREFERENCE
SCHEME WAS EMBARRASSING AND DIFFICULT TO DEFEND IN THE UNCTAD
PREFERENCES COMMITTEE AND THAT THE EEC MIGHT TRY TO IMPROVE THE
ATMOSPHERE, TO THE BENEFIT OF ALL, BY EXPOSING IN THE PREFERENCES
COMMITTEE THE BROAD LINES OF THEIR ILLUSTRATIVE LIST AND THE
THINKING AND HYPOTHESES UNDERLYING IT. SUCH ACTION IN ADVANCE OF
GENERAL AGREEMENT IN THE OECD ON SUBSTANTIVE DOCUMENTATION,
1.E. THE NECESSARY AGREED ELEMENTS OF A GENERALISED PREFERENCE
SCHEME, WOULD NOT REALLY BE A MAJOR STEP: THE EEC ILLUSTRATIVE
LIST WAS NOT ALL THAT SECRET. BUT THESE IDEAS HAD STILL TO GO TO
THE COMPETENT EEC BODIES.
5. GOLDSMITH REPLIED THAT THERE WOULD BE A GREAT DEAL OF WORK
TO BE DONE IN EXAMINATION AND ADJUSTMENT, TAKING ACCOUNT OF A REASONABLE SHARING OF THE PREFERENCE GIVING BURDEN, OF ILLUSTRATIVE
LISTS IN THE OECD. IT WAS OPTIMISTIC TO THINK THIS COULD BE COMPLETED
BEFORE END NOVEMBER SO AS TO ALLOW SUBSTANTIVE DOCUMENTATION TO
GO TO THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. THE U.K. WOULD NATURALLY DO ITS
BEST TO RESPECT SUCH TIMING. HE STRONGLY DOUBTED THAT THE U.K. WOULD BEGIN DISCUSSING THE CONTENTS OF ITS PRESENT ILLUSTRATIVE LIST AT THE GENEVA 30 JUNE MEETING. WORTHINGTON (U.S.) SUPPORTED
THIS. HE GREATLY FEARED THE DANGER OF THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
BREAKING RANKS IN THE UNCTAD COMMITTEE. WAS THE EEC IN FACT
PREPARING TO GO AHEAD WITH ITS OWN PREFERENCE SCHEME? LANGUETIN (SWITZERLAND) AND MIYAZAKI (JAPAN) ALSO DID NOT LIKE THE BELGIAN
SUGGESTION OF REVEALING THE BROAD LINES OF THE EEC ILLUSTRATIVE
LIST TO THE UNCTAD COMMITTEE.
6. ON THE RESUMPTION OF DISCUSSION ON 13 JUNE, FORTHOMME SAID
THE EEC WERE NOW MORE CONVINCED EVEN OF THE UNWISDOM OF MAKING
THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES THINK THE DEVELOPED MEMBERS OF OECD WERE
PLAYING FOR TIME. THE EEC COULD ONLY AVOID SPEAKING UP ABOUT
THEIR ILLUSTRATIVE LIST IN THE UNCTAD COMMITTEE IF THE TRADE
COMMITTEE COULD DECIDE ON A FIRM DATE FOR THE DEPOSIT WITH UNCTAD
OF A ''DOSSIER OR FILE'' BY 15 OCTOBER. THE DOSSIER SHOULD TAKE
STOCK OF THE POINT REACHED IN THE OECD DISCUSSIONS AND SHOULD
HAVE THE LARGEST POSSIBLE NUMBER OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE LISTS OF
ALL THOSE COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY THE KEY ONES, WHOSE LISTS
WOULD BE REASONABLY PRESENTABLE' BY THEN. THE DISCUSSION OF
SUBSTANCE IN THE DOSSIER NEED HAVE NO FINAL CHARACTER BUT HELP
TO CLARIFY THINKING AND THE PREPARATION AT A LATER STAGE OF
FULLER DOCUMENTATION. THE DATE OF 15 OCTOBER SHOULD BE A FIRM ONE
/AND A
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