Opening Speech by Mr. David Jordan, Director of Commerce and Industry, at the Seminar on the Multi- Fibre Arrangement Organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat, 9-13 May, Hong Kong
Mr. Chairman,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
the
May I first, on behalf of the Hong Kong Government, extend
a warm welcome to all our visitors from overseas. We are very pleased to have the opportunity of playing host to this Seminar and I hope your stay here will be enjoyable as well as useful.
The Commonwealth Secretariat decided some three months ago to organise this Seminar to provide us with an occasion to come together and focus our minds on the special problem of international trade on
It textiles with particular reference to the Multi-Fibre Arrangement. has turned out to be a very timely event.
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The Textiles Committee first discussed the future of the MFA six months ago in December last year. Although the majority of participants agreed at that meeting that there should be a quick decision to extend the MFA without change, no progress could be made mainly because the EEC, one of the biggest importers and exporters of textiles and clothing, wanted the MFA changed but could not tell us exactly what changes it wanted. A Textiles Committee meeting has now been fixed for 7 June and we all hope that the EEC will reach agreement
on its position.
At least this delay has given us the chance to meet here to exchange views and perhaps formulate ideas which will work to our mutual benefit when the discussions resume in Geneva.
But unhappily the delay also means that the textile industries of the developing world will have to live probably for a few more months with uncertainty about the framework in which trade in textiles will be conducted for the next few years. For some months already they have had to cope with the difficulties caused by this uncertainty. situation will became more difficult as 1977 advances without a decision
on the future of the MPA.
The
One thing about which there is no uncertainty is that come 1978 and beyond there will still be a special framework for trade in
Practically everyone is agreed that the MFA should be Some of the
textiles.
extended.
The only disagreements are on the terms.
/disagreements
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