UKDEL OECD TELNO 66 TO FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
3
AND A DOSSIER BE SENT TO UNCTAD WHATEVER THE STAGE REACHED IN THE OECD DISCUSSIONS. THOUGH NOT A COMPLETE PACKAGE THE DOSSIER WOULD SHOW WE WERE KEEPING OUR WORD AND ALLOW A FIRST REAL
DISCUSSION WITH THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BEFORE FINAL AGREEMENT IN THE OECD.
7. JAPAN, U.S. AND SWITZERLAND HAD LITTLE ENTHUSIASM FOR FOR THOMME'S
''PROPOSAL''. THE PATCHY NATURE OF THE DOCUMENTATION WOULD IMPLY
THAT A TRULY GENERALISED SCHEME WAS NOT POSSIBLE AND THE BASIC
PRINCIPLE OF NOT NEGOTIATING A SCHEME WITH THE DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES, OF NOT CREATING THE IDEA THAT THEY HAD A RIGHT TO PREFERENCES, WOULD BE JEOPARDIZED.
2
8. AFTER FURTHER QUESTIONING, FORTHOMME ADDED THAT A DOSSIER DID NOT NECESSARILY MEAN SOMETHING WIDE RANGING AND DETAILED, IT
COULD SIMPLY BE A REPORT, A SINGLE DOCUMENT. BUT IT HAD TO BE ''SUBSTANTIVE' AND TIED TO A FIRM DATE. A GENERALISED PREFERENCE
SCHEME COULD MEAN VARIOUS THINGS. THE U.S. WELCOMED FORTHOMME'S
ELUCIDATIONS: IT SHOWED THERE WAS NOT TOO MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THEM AND THE KIND OF LATE NOVEMBER FORMULATION THEY HAD BEEN
SUGGESTING FOR GETTING SUBSTANTIVE DOCUMENTATION TO THE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
9. THE CHAIRMAN (HERBST, GERMANY) TRIED TO SUM UP THUS. DELEGATIONS
WERE BEING ASKED TO DECIDE SIMPLY ON A PROCEDURE. THE UNCTAD
SECRETARY-GENERAL WAS TO BE TOLD THAT THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
WOULD BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR BE PREPARED TO ENTER INTO
SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSIONS ON A SCHEME OF GENERALISED PREFERENCES:
TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO TRANSMIT
SUBSTANTIVE DOCUMENTATION SUFFICIENTLY IN ADVANCE OF DISCUSSION.
OCTOBER WAS THE DATE TO AIM FOR FOR THE DUCUMENTATION (THOUGH IT WAS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR FROM THIS WHETHER OCTOBER WAS FOR THE
TRADE COMMITTEE'S GUIDANCE OR TO BE MENTIONED EXPLICITLY TO THE UNCTAD SECRETARY-GENERAL). ALSO THE DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES WOULD CONTINUE TO RESIST THE SETTING UP OF MORE WORKING
GROUPS BY THE UNCTAD PREFERENCES COMMITTEE AT PRESENT. THE AD
HOC GROUP SHOULD START DISCUSSION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE LISTS
ARCUND MID JULY, WITH FURTHER MEETINGS IN EARLY AND LATE SEPTEMBER
AND FRUITION OF ITS WORK AROUND MID-OCTOBER.
10. NO DELEGATION DISSENTED FROM THE CHAIRMAN'S SUMMING UP OF COMMON ELEMENTS. FORTHOMME APPROVED IT. SWITZERLAND AND U.S. FOLLOWED SUIT, THE FORMER ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ''DOSSIER'' OR REPORT CONSTITUTING THE FIRST BATCH OF SUBSTANTIVE DOCUMENTATION
CONFIDENTIAL
/COULD