CONFIDENTIAL
-2-
SUCH MEETINGS WERE USEFUL IN PROVIDING A FORUM WHERE A WIDE
VARIETY OF SUBJECTS COULD BE DISCUSSED. (THIS LENDS SUPPORT
TO THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY KARUDA REPORTED IN PARAGRAPH SIX
7.10005
UKDEL OECD TELEGRAM NUMBER 64 THAT THESE MEETINGS COULD
DEVELOP INTO AN INFORMAL INNER STEERING GROUP IN THE GATT).
3. EDMUNDS, MINISTER (ECONOMIC) AT THE AMERICAN EMBASSY, CONFIRMED
TO WAKEFIELD THAT MIYAZAWA, THE MINISTER FOR INTERNATIONAL
TRADE AND INDUSTRY, HAD TAKEN THE SAME LINE ON TEXTILES AT A
MEETING WITH THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR HERE LAST WEEK. EDMUNDS
THOUGHT, HOWEVER, THAT EVEN IF THE PROSPECTS FOR THE MILLS BILL
VERE UNCERTAIN THIS SESSION, THE JAPANESE WERE UNDER-ESTIMATING
THE POSSIBILITY OF TEXTILE LEGISLATION BEING PASSED THIS YEAR
BY MEANS OF A RIDER ATTACHED TO AN UMRELATED BILL. HE ALSO
THOUGHT THAT THE JAPANESE INDUSTRY WAS BEING TOO SANGUINE ABOUT
THE SORT OF ARRANGEMENT WHICH COULD BE WORKED OUT ONCE LEGISLATION
HAD BEEN PASSED, IN THAT EVENT, CONGRESS AND THE TEXTILE LOBBY WERE UNLIKELY TO LEAVE AMERICAN NEGOTIATORS MUCH FLEXIBILITY, EVEN
AFTER THE MID-TERM ELECTIONS.
F C O PASS ALL.
SIR J. PILCHER
[REPEATED AS REQUESTED].
INTERNATIONAL TRADE DISTRIBUTION
COMMODITIES DEFT.
·AARICAN DEPT.
HONG KONG DEPT.
7.3.D.
CONFIDENTIAL
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION HI.K. INT. TRADE