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CYPHER CAT A
ROUTINE HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER 763
CONFIDENTIAL
/NEUTRAL/
CONFIDENTIAL
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
26 SEPT 1969 Ad00
201
ADDRESSED F C O TELNO 763 OF 26 SEPTEMBER R F I OSLO.
RIC
YOUR TELEGRAM 642: NORWEGIAN TEXTILE NEGOTIATIONS.
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YOUR PARA. 2. (A) WHILE I AGREE THAT IMPORTS OF WOMEN'S AND GIRLS' ACRYLIC KNITWEAR FROM EFTA ARE STILL INCREASING, SUCH IMPORTS CF WOOL ARE DECLINING. WE CANNOT SAY FROM NORWEGIAN
TABLES THAT PRODUCTION HAS LEVELLED OFF SINCE TABLE 8 PRODUCTION
FIGURES ARE FOR ALL FIBRESS OTHER THAN WOOL. NORWEGIAN CLAIM, HOWEVER (SEE PARA.5 OF OSLO TELEGRAM 249), THAT WOMEN'S AND
GIRLS' ACRYLIC PRODUCTION HAS DECLINED.
(B) AGAIN NORWEGIAN TABLES DO NOT SHOW STRONGER CASE ON MEN'S
AND BOYS' KNITWEAR BECAUSE TABLE 14 PRODUCTION FIGURES ARE FOR
ALL FIBRES OTHER THAN WOOL BUT, ACCORDING TO OSLO TELEGRAM 249 PARA. 5, MEN'S AND BOYS' ACRYLIC PRODUCTION HAS INCREASED.
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2.
POSITION ON ALL KNITWEAR ITEMS IS COMPLICATED BY
THE FACT THAT EXISTING WOMEN'S AND GIRLS' QUOTA IS UNDER-UTILISED, INDICATING THAT EXPORTERS /IMPORTERS MAY, IN SECTORS WHERE WOMEN'S AND GIRLS' AND MEN'S AND BOYS' ARE PRACTICALLY INDISTINGUISHABLE,
BE DELIBERATELY BUILDING UP PERFORMANCE IN UNRESTRAINED CATEGORY.
IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES I THINK DELEGATION HAS DONE WELL TO DRIVE NORWEGIAN GFF MEN'S AND BOYS' ACRYLIC WHERE BUILD-UP HAS BEEN MOST REMARKABLE 68/69.
3. I INSTRUCTED MY DELEGATION TO EXAMINE STATISTICS WITH NORWEGIANS
AND TO CONCEDE AD REFERENDUM ONLY WHERE A PRESENTABLE CASE OF INJURY (OR IN CASE OF EXISTING RESTRAINTS, THREAT OF RENEWED/INJURY
CONFIDENTIAL
LAST
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