CONFIDENTIAL
PROPOSE, DESIRE AND INTEND TO HOLD TO AND THE CALCULATIONS WE MADE WERE BASED ON THIS ASSUMPTION. QUITE APART FROM THIS, I WAS ASSURED THAT ALL EXISTING UNITED KINGDOM RESTRAINTS ON TEXTILES WOULD BE MAINTAINED IN SOME FORM AND THAT IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH SUPPLYING COUNTRIES A NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL RESTRAINTS ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED KINGDOM WOULD BE PROPOSED. I RECOGNISE THAT YOUR STAFF ARE NOW FACED WITH VERY DIFFICULT NEGOTIATIONS WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BUT I MUST EMPHASIZE THAT I HAVE NO ALTERN- ATIVE BUT TO CONTINUE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON WHAT IS INVOLVED FOR PRODUCTS THAT ARE PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE FOR US AND OUR ATTITUDE TO THE MULTIFIBRE ARRANGEMENT WILL DEPEND, ESSENTIALLY, NOT ON THE START BUT ON THE END RESULTS OF YOUR BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS.
5. THE SECOND PART OF MY STATEMENT IS, AS I SAY, IN YOUR HANDS AND I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSES. FOR REASONS I UNDERSTAND, WHILE YOU GAVE ME CLEAR ASSURANCES ON FOUR OF MY FIVE POINTS, YOU WERE NOT ABLE TO BE AS SPECIFIC AS I WOULD HAVE LIKED ON COTTON YARN. IN LIFTING MY RESERVE I CONTINUED TO SEEK, FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM, ZERO GROWTH ON COTTON YARN ON THE BASIS OF 1976 FIGURES AND I WAS ABLE TO HAVE A SHORT DISCUSSION ON THE POLITICAL IMPORTANCE OF THIS WITH YOUR COLLEAGUE, COMMISSIONER DAVIGNON. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL BEAR OUR SENSITIVITY ON THIS POINT IN MIND.
6. YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE HAVE NOW TO BEGIN FORMALLY THE SERIES OF NEGOTIATIONS THAT I KNOW WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT. THEY HAVE OUR SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO COOPERATE WITH THEM TO BRING ABOUT A SUCCESSFUL RESULT.
7. AS YOU WILL KNOW, I HAVE ALREADY HAD A NUMBER OF DISCUSSIONS WITH COMMISSIONER DAVIGNON ON THESE MATTERS AND I AM ACCORDINGLY SENDING HIM A COPY OF THIS LETTER.
ENDS.
OWEN.
FRAME EXTERNAL
EID
HK & GD
2
CONFIDENTIAL
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION
FRAME
COPIES TO:
MR GRAY
MISS MACFARLANE
MR RIDLEY
MISS LOWNE
MR REMICK
MR HARRIS
LANE
DOT
}
DOI
MR BUIST ODM
CABINET OFFICE