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more sensitive but its use would still be subject to close
scrutiny. In the U.S. view tariff quotas or quantitative
limitations were more uncertain than an escape clause because
there could be no guarantee to exporters that any particular
shipment would qualify. Finally, the U.S. did not expect that
special (existing) preferences should be eliminated across the
board but only on those products included in the generalised
scheme.
Discussion of the Report
19. At that point the Chairman (Herbst Germany) cut short the
general debate and said that the Committee should concentrate on
the Report before it. After some discussion of particular
amendments proposed (particularly to take account of the new
Japanese offer) it was agreed to set up a drafting group to
consider all amendments and report back to the Committee.
proved to be helpful as the Committee very soon accepted the
specific amendments proposed when it considered this matter again
on the last afternoon. The Report as amended is being issued as
This
a Council document and will come before the Council in the course
of this week.
Beneficiaries
20.
As it turned out there were long discussions on the question
of beneficiaries which occupied a large part of two Sessions of
the Committee. This was sparked by the developing Member
Countries (Greece, Turkey, Spain and Portugal), who all con-
sidered that they should qualify as beneficiaries and were all
opposed to the inclusion of the words "in general" in paragraph
12 of the Annex. However, as this was a paper by the donor
countries for submission to UNCTAD, the developing countries
were not able to express their views by, e.g. associating them-
selves with the U.K. footnote (although Portugal tried at one
stage to do so). They therefore asked for additional para-
graphs to be added at the end of the first part of the Report
/to express
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