RESTRICTED
3.
DE NANTEUIL (FRANCE) FAVOURED A DETAILED DISCUSSION IN THE 13 OCTOBER COUNCIL, SINCE THE QUESTION POSED WAS BASICALLY A POLITICAL ONE: WAS IT RIGHT, IN THE PRESENT ECONOMIC SITUATION, TO DISCUSS TARIFF CUTS OF A MUCH GREATER DEPTH THAN THE COMMUNITY HAD EARLIER ENVISAGED? ALTHOUGH THE COMMISSION SPOKE OF CONTINUING CONTACTS WITHOUT COMMITMENT, HE FEARED THAT THE HYPOTHESIS WOULD HARDEN INTO A THESIS AND THAT IT WOULD IN PRACTICE BE DIFFICULT TO REJECT THE FORMULA IN JANUARY. MOREOVER, THE HYPOTHESIS AS FRESENTLY FORMULATED RAISED A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS, SUCH AS THE MEANING OF THE SECOND STAGE, THE CONDITIONS THAT MIGHT BE ATTACHED TO IT AND THE EXTENT OF HARMONISATION WHICH WOULD IN PRACTICE OCCUR. FRANCE ATTACHED PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE TO OTHER PARTS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS, NOTABLY CUSTOMS VALUATION AND SAFEGUARDS.
4. SIGRIST (GERMANY) SAID THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO TRY TO REACH AN AGREED COMMUNITY POSITION QUICKLY: GERMANY WOULD BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS THE MATTER AT THE 18 OCTOBER COUNCIL, ALTHOUGH IDEALLY THEY WOULD PREFER A JOINT MEETING OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTERS AND OTHER MINISTERS PRIMARILY CONCERNED. HE SUPPORTED THE COMMISSION AND WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO FURTHER TOWARDS MEETING THE AMERICANS. SUCCESS IN THE MTNS WOULD HELP ECONOMIC RECOVERY. RI BERHOLDT (DENMARK) AND LUBBERS (NETHERLANDS) CONCURRED.
5. I SAID THAT THE UK ATTACHED IMPORTANCE TO A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME
TO THE MTNS, AND THE WORKING HYPOTHESIS SHOULD NOT BE RULED OUT.
HOWEVER, CERTAIN CONDITIONS NEEDED TO BE FULFILLED. WE HAD NO
OBJECTION TO AN EXCHANGE OF VIEWS BY MINISTERS AT THE OCTOBER
COUNCIL FOLLOWING A PROGRESS REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION BUT IT WOULD
BE PREMATURE FOR THIS COUNCIL TO ATTEMPT TO TAKE ANY DECISIONS OF
SUBSTANCE. FURTHER WORK WAS NEEDED, IN PARTICULAR ON THE QUESTION OF A BREAK CLAUSE AND ON SAFEGUARDS. PLAJA (ITALY) AND ROBINET (BELGIUM)
SUPPORTED OUR LINE ON PROCEDURE.
6.
DONDELINGER (LUXEMBOURG) SAID THAT HE SUPPORTED THE
COMMISSION'S ACTION SO FAR. THE NEED NOW WAS TO ENSURE THAT THE
TIMETABLE FOR THE MTNS WAS ADHERED TO.
78 DILLON (IRELAND) SAID THAT THE WORKING HYPOTHESIS DID NOT
POSE PARTICULAR PROBLEMS FOR THE IRISH, BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT
TARIFFS SHOULD NOT BE DISCUSSED IN ISOLATION: THE IRISH LOOKED FOR
A PACKAGE INCLUDING SAFEGUARDS, AND SOME SORT OF REVIEW BEFORE
THE SECOND STAGE OF CUTS WAS IMPLEMENTED.
2 RESTRICTED
!
18.