to seek restrictions.
In other words the LTA does not allow for any
cut-back in levels of imports except insofar as may be achieved by
discounting any upsurge in the three months immediately preceding the
application of restraints. The LTA also allows for mutually acceptable restraints to be agreed bilaterally by contracting parties, but
obviously it would be difficult if not impossible to achieve agreed
restrictions that are more stringent than the minimum that any be
imposed under the LTA.
14. Both EFTA and AIFTA envisage the use of emergency action to
restrict imports from member countries only under conditions that are
if anything even more stringent than those laid down in the GATT.
In particular, this means that LTA type restrictions on cotton textiles
probably could not be imposed either against the Irish Republic or
EFTA countries.
15. In imposing quantitative restrictions (or any other restrictions)
on imports of textiles we would therefore be faced with three possible:
courses:
a)
b)
c)
we could impose them within the terms of these agreements
and accept the constraints outlined above;
we could attempt by one means or another to secure the
agreement of other countries to restrictions which fell
outside the terms of these agreements which would mean that
they would not take issue with us for being in breach of
them although our actions would probably be considered within
these bodies at some stage;
we could simply impose restrictions that were in breach of.
these agreements and accept any consequences.
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