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TO IMMEDIATE CODEL BRUSSELS TELEGRAM NUMBER 131 OF 27 OCTOBER. MIPT.
GENERALISED PREFERENCE SCHEME AND COTTON TEXTILES.
DRAFT STATEMENT READS AS FOLLOWS.
GREE
QUOTE. AT OUR MEETING ON 23 FEBRUARY IT WAS AGREED THAT WE SHOULD DISCUSS WITH THE COMMISSION THE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN THE ADAPTATION OF THE SCHEME OF GENERALISED PREFERENCES WHICH WE EXPECTED TO BE OPERATING BEFORE ACCESSION TO THE SCHEME THEN BEING OPERATED BY THE COMMUNITY. THE BACKGROUND TO THESE DISCUSSIONS HAS NATURALLY BEEN PROVIDED BY THE SCHEME WHICH YOU INTRODUCED IN JULY AND BY THE DETAILS WHICH WE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED OF THE SCHEME WHICH WE INTEND TO INTRODUCE ON 1 JANUARY NEXT YEAR. THESE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COMMISSION HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY USEFUL AND WE CAM NOW SEE MORE CLEARLY THE POINTS AT ISSUE.
2. THE MAJOR POINT CONCERNS THE DATE ON WHICH WE SHOULD ADAPT.
IT SEEMS TO US THAT THE DOMINANT CONSIDERATION HERE IS A SIMPLE AND PRACTICAL ONE. YOUR GENERALISED PREFERENCES SCHEME IS TECHNICALLY A DEROGATION FROM THE CET, BUT IT HAS BEEN AGREED IN THE CONFERENCE THAT WE SHALL ONLY MAKE OUR FIRST MOVE TO THE CET ON 1 JANUARY 1974. THEREFORE IT SEEMS TO BE DIFFICULT TO ENVISAGE OUR ADAPTING BEFORE THIS DATE TO YOUR SCHEME. I WOULD THEREFORE SUGGEST THAT WE MAKE OUR ADAPTATION TO YOUR SCHEME OF GENERALISED PREFERENCES ON THE FIRST DATE AT WHICH WE BEGIN TO MOVE TO THE COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFF
IE 1 JANUARY 1974.
3. THERE ARE OF COURSE CERTAIN PROBLEMS IN THE COTTON TEXTILE FIELD ARISING FROM THE FACT THAT OUR IMPORT REGIMES ARE SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT. BUT WE THINK THAT THESE PROBLEMS CAN BE DEALT WITH WITHIN
THE FRAMEWORK OF THE TECHNICAL ADAPTATIONS WHICH WILL NEED TO BE MADE DURING 1973 TO ENABLE THE COMMUNITY'S GENERALISED PREFERENCE SCHEME TO BE APPLIED A DIX FROM 1 JANUARY 1974.
4. 1 HOPE MR CHAIRMAN THAT WE CAN REACH AGREEMENT TO PROCEED ON
THESE LINES. UNQUOTE.
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