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ROUTINE F C O TELNO. 4546 OF 18 OCTOBER/INFO SAVING BRUSELS (FOR
H.K,0.), HONG KONG, KUALA LUMPUR SINGAPORE.
BURGESS
!
MEETING OF WORKING GROUP ON GENERALISED PREFERENCES: 16/17 OCT. 1. THE GROUP MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS WITH THE MAIN LIST OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. A REVISED COMMISSION PROPOSAL FOR THE
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS GAVE SOME HOPE OF PROGRESS THOUGH IT WAS NOT
DISCUSSED IN DETAIL. THERE WAS FURTHER DISCUSSION BUT LITTLE
PROGRESS ON TOBACCO, PLY-WOOD, TROPICAL OILS, AND FOOTWEAR FOR HONG KONG. THE COMMISSION CIRCULATED ADVANCE AND UNOFFICIAL
COPIES OF ITS DRAFT PROPOSALS ON TEXTILES AND JUTE AND COIR BUT
THESE WERE NOT DISCUSSED. THESE, TOGETHER WITH THE PROBLEM OF ROMANIA AND THE PRODUCTS ON THE SEMI-SENSITIVE LIST STILL REMAIN TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE GROUP AT ITS NEXT, AND SUPPOSEDLY LAST, MEETING ON 28/29 OCTOBER. THE PROBLEMS OF TOBACCO, PLYWOOD, FOOTWEAR FOR HONG KONG AND THE OUTSTANDING POINTS ON THE COMMISSION
AGRICULTURAL LIST WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE COMMITTEE OF PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES (DEPUTIES) NEXT WEEK.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
3
A FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THE COMMISSION PROPOSAL FOR
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS RESULTED IN AGREEMENT ON THE BULK OF THEM, THE MAIN CUSTANDING POINTS ARE: HONEY ORCHIDS, ANCHOIVES, MANUFACTURED TOBACCO AND CASTOR OIL. THE COMMISSION PROPOSED A
COMPROMISE PACKAGE BUT THIS WAS NOT ACCEPTED. WE MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE COULD NOT GO ABOVE THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSAL OF 4% FOR
CASTOR-CIL.
3. WE PRESSED FOR RAPID CONSIDERATION OF THE PRODUCTS ON OUR
LIST: IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE POSITIONS OF DELEGATIONS COULD BE
SET OUT IN TABULAR FORM. THESE PRODUCTS SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED
SEPARATELY FROM THE MAIN LIST. THE COMMISSION SAID THEY WOULD
PRODUCT PROPOSALS BASED ON OUR LIST FOR THE NEXT MEETING OF
THE GROUP. ON THIS BASIS WE AGREED TO FURTHER DISCUSSION AT.
THE NEXT MEETING.
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