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The implications of this latter course for our relations with
the Community do not need to be underlined.
6.
The Commission have to keep to a very tight timetable.
They believe it is necessary for all the bilateral agreements
to be concluded by the end of November in order to give the
Community time to decide whether to introduce unilateral measures
on 1 January 1978. This implies beginning bilateral negotiations
in the second week in October. The detailed breakdown of quota
figures between supplying countries has not yet been finalised by
the Commission. This is a massive statistical exercise which they
hope to have completed in about a week from now. The Council on
20 September will probably be asked to approve the Commission
paper (which does not contain the figures) in principle, leaving
final approval to be given in COREPER in early October or perhaps,
as the Commission would prefer, at a special Council meeting devoted
solely to textiles in the first week of October.
Hong Kong
7.
During the August holidays, the Commission's chief textile
negotiator, Tran van Tinh, visited the Community's main textile
suppliers to explain the Commission's approach. He came to
London on 9 September to give an account of this tour and
clarification of the new Commission proposals to UK officials. A
member of this department was present at this meeting. The
Commission's proposals appear to be designed to meet our requirements
as far as the maintenance of the global ceiling and more lenient
treatment for the poorest developing countries are concerned.
raise, however, a problem over Hong Kong.
They
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