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CYPHER/CAT A
IMMEDIATE
FM F C 0 181218Z
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
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TO IMMEDIATE UKREP BRUSSELS TELNO 1559 OF 18 JULY 1977;
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA,
INFO PRIORITY ALL OTHER E. E C POSTS, WASHINGTON, TOKYO
YOUR TELS NOS 4690 AND 4691 TEXTILES: RENEWAL OF THE MF A
1. OFFICIALS HAVE NOW CONSIDERED THE SITUATION AND WILL BE
REPORTING TO MINISTERS. PLEASE CALL ON D'AVIGNON AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE AND MAKE THE POINTS IN PARAS 2 TO 7 BELOW.
2. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE UK AND OF ALL OTHER MEMBER STATES MUST
REMAIN THAT OF THE COUNCIL'S AGREED MANDATE TO THE COMMISSION.
WE MUST KEEP OPEN THE TWO POSSIBILITIES OF THE COMMUNITY ATTAINING
THESE OBJECTIVES BY MODIFICATIONS TO THE M F A OR OF THE COMMUNITY
DECIDING NOT TO SIGN A RENEWED M F A, IF IT DOES NOT ATTAIN I ITS OBJECTIVES. MUCH WILL DEPEND ON THE RESULTS OF THE BILATERAL
MEGOTIATIONS. THE COMMUNITY SHOULD THEREFORE NOT GIVE A FIRM
INDICATION AT THIS STAGE THAT IT IS WILLING TO SIGN AN UNCHANGED
MF A. BRITISH MINISTERS MUST BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE PUBLICLY THAT THE
COMMUNITY'S POSITION IS AS ABOVE AND MUST BE ABLE TO SAY THAT ITS
POSITION IS FULLY UNDERSTOOD BY ALL THE COMMUNITY'S NEGOTIATING
PARTNERS IN THE GAT T TEXTILES COMMITTEE.
3. WE WELCOME M DAVIGNON'S STATEMENT (YOUR FIRST TELEGRAM UNDER
REFERENCE) THAT THERE IS NO COMMITMENT TO SIGNATURE, BUT OUR FIRST VIEW OF PARAGRAPH 8 IS THAT, TAKEN BY ITSELF, IT DOES NOT (REPEAT NOT) PROVIDE THE ASSURANCES BRITISH MINISTERS WILL NEED.
CONCEPT OF THE COMMISSION APPROACH IS NOT IN ITSELF NECESSARILY
UNACCAPTABLE TO THE U K BUT WE SHALL NEED MUCH FIRMER ASSURANCES,
IDEALLY IN A REDRAFTED TEXT OF THIS PARAGRAPH. IF A REDRAFT IS
NOT ATTAINABLE, WE SHALL NEED A PUBLIC COMMITMENT OF EQUÍ VALENT
EFFECT,
THE
14. WE SHALL
CONFIDENTIAL