69
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To: Director of Commerce and Industry, Hong Kong
From: Counsellor (Hong Kong Affairs), Geneva.
Memorandum No. 66
File No. VA/10/8/1
My memorandum No. 7 of 17 January
Date: 28 April, 1969
OECD
...
Ad Hoc Working Group on Preferences
The Ad Hoc Group held its fourth meeting in Paris
on 23 and 24 April.
Kemmis, who has replaced Goldsmith
as U.K. representative, confirmed Goldsmith's resignation from the Chair and the Group elected intermans (Netherlands)
as its new Chairman.
2.
I enclose copies of the Agenda for the meeting (TC/Pref./69.5) and of the working papers considered,
namely,
(a) The first Report of the Group of Experts en Rules of
Origin (TC/Pref./69.6), and
(b) Safeguard Mechanisms under a System of Generalised
Preferences (TFD/TD/515 (1st Revision) ).
The latter paper was prepared following discussion in the Working Party of the Trade Committee (permanent delegations in Paris under the Chairmanship of Brungart (U.s.) ).
Assessment of the Present Position
T
3. The Group first made a bread assessment of the present position (item 2 of Agenda) in the light of the commitment of prospective donor countries to table illustrative offers in OECD by 1 March, 1969. So far such offers have been tabled by the UK, ELC, the Nordic countries, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand and have been circulated to these countries only. This left the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland and Austria (Japan has made a submission to the 0..CD Secretariat but will not agree to its release until the U.S. submission is tabled).
4.
1
The assessment began with statements from the laggards. Monk (Canada) said that the Canadian submission was nearly ready and would be tabled within a week or two. Leary (U.S.) explained that the new Administration was conducting a thorough review of trade policy, including preferences. This sort of operation required time and was not yet com- pleted. As soon as the final position on preferences was decided the Secretariat would be informed. Gehr (Austria) said that his government were prepared in principle to grant substantial preferences but the preparation of the assumptions on which their offer would be based had not yet been completed. Finally Wardlaw (Irish Republic) said
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/that