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3. MOHLER SAID THAT AGREEMENT HAD NOT HOWEVER BEEN REACHED
IN THE COMMUNITY AS TO THE BASIS ON WHICH THESE OFFERS SHOULD
BE CALCULATED. WITH REGARD TO THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, INDIA
WAS ASKING FOR A BASE FIGURE SOME 20 PER CENT ABOVE THE FIGURE
CONTAINED IN ITS CURRENT ARTICLE ↳ AGREEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY:
BUT NO COMMUNITY POSITION ON THIS REQUEST HAD BEEN REACHED,
WITH REGARD TO HONG KONG THE IMPRECISION WAS EVEN GREATER.
THE GERMANS WERE PROPOSING THAT THE 3 PER CENT GROWTH FIGURE
SHOULD BE CALCULATED ON THE BASIS OF AN EXTRAPOLATION OF THE
FIGURES FOR COMMUNITY IMPORTS FROM HONG KONG FOR THE FIRST
MONTHS OF 1970, 1.E. THE PERIOD PRECEDING THE EXPIRY OF THE
PRESENT LTA, OTHER MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION FAVOURED
CALCULATION ON THE BASIS OF 1969 FIGURES: BUT THERE WAS NO CLEAR
AGREEMENT AS TO WHICH SET OF 1969 FIGURES WERE TO BE USED.
ERNST HAS TOLD THE MEMBER STATES THAT THE COMMISSION FELT ABLE
TO INCREASE THE GROWTH FIGURE FOR HONG KONG FROM THE ONE TO
TWO PER CENT WHICH IT HAD PREVIOUSLY ENVISAGED TO THE PRESENT
3 PER CENT DECAUSE IMPORTS FROM HONG KONG DURING 1969 WERE
TURNING OUT LESS HIGH THAN THEY HAD THOUGHT. THAT IS TO SAY ERNST
LET IT BE UNDERSTOOD THAT HE WAS NO LONGER USING THE EXAGGERATED
1969 BASE FIGURE WHICH HE HAD PREVIOUSLY EXTRAPOLATED FROM THE
FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1969: BUT HE DID NOT SPECIFICALLY SAY THAT
HE WAS USING THE MUCH LOWER HONG KONG EXPORT FIGURES.
4. IN REPLY TO A QUESTION, MOHLER SAID HE DID NOT EXPECT THE
GERMAN GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSAL FOR THE USE OF 1970 FIGURES TO BE
ACCEPTED EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE MAINTAINING A FORMAL RESERVE ON
AGREEMENT TO THE USE OF 1969 FIGURES. IT WAS TOO EASY FOR THE
OTHER MEMBER STATES TO POINT OUT THAT THE 1970 FIGURES WOULD
NOT BE KNOWN IN TIME. NOR DID HE THINK THAT THE GERMANS WOULD BE
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