RESTRICTED
4. IT WAS AGREED THAT THE COMMISSION SHOULD HAVE A FURTHER TRY TO GET
AGREEMENT WITH THE OTHER SIDE ON AN IMPROVED TEXT IN THE LIGHT THE
REMARKS WHICH HAD BEEN MADE. SEVERAL DELEGATIONS EXPRESSED PESSIMISH
ABOUT THE LIKELY OUTCOME.
5. ON 13 JULY TRAN REPORTED THE OUTCOME OF A DAWN MEETING WITH THE
US, JAPAN, HONG KONG, BRAZIL AND MEXICO. AS INSTRUCTED HE HAD TRIED
TO INTRODUCE IMPROVEMENTS INTO THE TEXT BUT HE HAD FAILED. HE SAW
NO POSSIBILITY AT THIS STAGE OF GETTING AGREEMENT ON A TEXT CONTAIN- ING ADEQUATE GUARANTEES TO COVER THE COMMUNITY'S MANDATE. AS HE SAW
IT THERE WERE NOW TWO POSSIBILITIES:
(A) AT A RESUMED MEETING OF THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE THE
COMMUNITY COULD PROPOSE PRECISE AMENDMENTS TO THE MFA. THIS
WOULD PROBABLY LEAD TO AT LEAST A TEMPORARY
TEMPORARY BREAK IN THE MEETING OF THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE DURING
WHICH THE COMMUNITY SHOULD PURSUE ITS WORK ON THE BILATERAL
NEGOTIATIONS WITH ALL POSSIBLE SPEED. IN HIS VIEW THE COMMUNITY
HAD BEEN RIGHT TO TRY THE SOFT APPROACH FIRST, BUT THE TIME HAD NOW COME TO ADOPT A MORE FORMAL APPROACH AND TO MAKE
THE COMMUNITY 'S POSITION COMPLETELY CLEAR:
B 7
(B) THE US, WHO WERE VERY CONCERNED TO REACH ACREEMENT
AT THIS SESSION OF THE TEXTILE COMMITTEE MIGHT PUT PRESSURE
ON THE EXPORTING COUNTRIES TO MOVE TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY'S
POSITION.
6. DESPITE SOME HESITATIONS FROM THE GERMANS THE COMMITTEE AGREED THAT THE TIME HAD COME FOR THE COMMUNITY TO TABLE AMENDMENTS, IT WAS ALSO AGREED THAT THE COMMUNITY SHOULD EMPHASISE ITS WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION IN THE TEXTILE COMMITTEE
AT ANY TIME SO AS NOT TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY BREAKING OFF
OF DISCUSSIONS.
7. AT AN INFORMAL MEETING OF HEADS OF DELEGATION CALLED BY LONG (CHAIRMAN OF TEXTILES COMMITTEE) IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE
EXPORTING COUNTRIES HAD REALISED THAT THE COMMUNITY'S MANDATE
REQUIRED AMENDMENTS TO THE MFA. ANY PROSPECTS AT THIS STAGE OF
SECURING THEIR ACQUIESCENCE THAT WHAT WE WAITED WAS COMPATIBLE WITH THE PRESENT MFA HAS DISAPPEARED. THEY SUGGESTED THAT WHAT WAS NEEDED WAS A NEW COMMUNITY MANDATE. TRAN (COMMISSION) SAID THIS WOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT, BUT A NEW MANDATE WOULD CERTAINLY BE TOUGHER.
2
18. LONG
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