GS 623
IMMEDIATE
CYPHER CAT A
FM UKMIS GENEVA 1315137
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 356 OF 13 JULY
INFO UKREP BRUSSELS
MY TELNO 351: TEXTILES: MFA NEGOTIATIONS
102
97
A
14 JUL 1777
HKK 12/6.61
51
101
1. IN RESUMED DISCUSSION IN THE ARTILCE 113 COMMITTEE ON 12 JULY, THE COMMISSION CIRCULATED FURTHER TEXTS ON PARA 5 OF THE PROPOSED CHAIRMAN'S SUMMING-UP (MY TELNO 352) WHICH HAD BEEN DISCUSSED INFOR- MALLY WITH A NUMBER OF EXPORTING COUNTRIES AND THE US. THE COMMISS- ION HAD PROPOSED A TEXT WHICH FOLLOWED THE COMMUNITY'S MANDATE MORE CLOSELY BUT THIS HAD BEEN STRONGLY OPPOSED,
2. MOST MEMBER STATES URGED THE COMMISSION TO BE CAUTIOUS IN FOLLOW- ING UP THIS LINE OF APPROACH. THE UK AND OTHERS SAID THEY COULD NOT ACCEPT ANY COMMITMENT HERE AND NOW (SUCH AS THAT IN PARA 4) TO RENEW
THE MFA WITHOUT CHANGE ON THE BASIS OF ASSURANCES OF GOODWILL IN THE
DILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS: THEY NEEDED TO SEE FIRST WHAT SUCH ASSURANCES
WERE WORTH IN PRACTICE.
3. MEMBER STATES ALSO URGED THAT A REVISED PARA 5 SHOULD REFLECT IN DETAIL ALL THE MAIN POINTS IN THE COMMUNITY'S MANDATE. PARA 7 WAS ALSO CONSIDERED UNACCEPTABLE. TRAN SUGGESTED THAT THE COMMUNITY MIGHT SAFECUARD ITS POSITION BY A UNILATERAL DECLARATION TO THE EFFECT THAT
THE COMMUNITY'S AGREEMENT TO RENEWAL WAS CONDITIONAL ON A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME OF THE BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS. IF THIS APPROACH WORKED THERE
WOULD BE THREE STAGES:
A) THE CONCLUSION OF THE PRESENT MEETING OF THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE WITH A CHAIRMAN'S SUMMING-UP ON THE LINES OF MY TELMO 352, BUT WITH AMENDMENTS:
(B) THE BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS;
(C) IN THE LIGHT OF THESE THE ADOPTION LATER IN THE YEAR OF A
PROTOCOL RENEWING THE MFA UNCHANGED,
RESTRICTED
14.
IT