GR 230
CONFIDENTIAL
IMMEDIATE
CYPHER CAT A
FM PARIS 211754Z
CONFIDENTIAL
OVED I REGIORY Ne. 51
22 JUL 1977
14KK 121 616
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[FRAME FILES]
TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 722 OF 21 JULY 1977
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP BRUSSELS UKMIS GENEVA INFO ROUTINE OTHER EEC POSTS WASHINGTON TOKYO
YOUR TELNO 500: RENEWAL OF THE MFA
LASI
117)
1. WE HAVE SPOKEN TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN TRADE ABOUT THIS.
2. AT THE MEETING BETWEEN BARRE AND DAVIGNON ON 19 JULY THE FRENCH INSISTED ON AMENDMENTS TO PARA 8 AND PARA 5 OF THE TEXT IN UKREP BRUSSELS TELNO 4691 TO MAKE IT EXPLICIT THAT THE RENEWAL MFA WOULD NOT BE SIGNED BY THE COMMUNITY UNLESS THEY WERE SATISFIED THAT THE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS MET THEIR REQUIREMENTS. DETAILED LANGUAGE WAS NOT GIVEN TO DAVIGNON, BUT WAS PASSED TO HIM LATER,
3. SINCE THEN, DAVIGNON HAS (WE UNDERSTAND) PROPOSED THAT THE TEXT IN UKREP BRUSSELS REFTEL SHOULD ONLY BE MODIFIED SLIGHTLY (NO DOUET THE CHANGE REFERRED TO IN PARA 1A OF YOUR REFTEL) BUT THAT A DETAILED COMMUNITY STATEMENT OF CONDITIONS SHOULD BE ATTACHED, THIS WOULD NOT BE THE COMMUNITY'S OPENING STATEMENT TO THE GATT TEXTILES COMMITTEE BUT A SPECIALLY DRAFTED DOCUMENT. THE FRENCH ADMINISTRAT- ION IS DIVIDED OVER THE LINE TO TAKE ON THIS PROPOSAL. THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL TRADE AND THE MINISTER, M ROSSI WISH TO ACCEPT IT. THE MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, AND THE JUNIOR MINISTER RESPONSIBLE, M RUFENACHT ARE OPPOSED. THE QUESTION HAS NOW GONE TO THE PRIME MINISTER, FOR HIM TO ARBITRATE.
14.
CONFIDENTIAL