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3. NICOLL (UK) CONFIRMED THAT THE UK AMONGST OTHER MEMBER STATES WANTED TO HEAR THE COMMISSION'S PROGRESS REPORT AT THE COUNCIL NEXT WEEK. BRITISH MINISTERS WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY FEEL IT NECESSARY ON THAT OCCASION TO RAISE SEVERAL POINTS OF CONCERN, WHICH HE WISHED NOW TO EXPLAIN, ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEGOTIATIONS.
4. IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY COMPETENT OFFICIALS FROM THE COMMISSION, AND GIVEN THAT THE COMMISSION HAD CLEARLY NOT INTENDED TO GIVE COREPER ANY ADVANCE WARNING OF THE STATEMENT THAT COMMISSIONER HAFERKAMP WOULD MAKE NEXT WEEK, THE CHAIR DECLINED TO PERMIT A SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION. KITTEL (GERMANY) ADDED THAT HIS AUTHORITIES HOPED THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD NOT EMBARK ON A SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION NEXT WEEK BUT WOULD SIMPLY TAKE NOTE OF THE COMMISSION'S REPORT. ROBINET, SUPPORTED BY ANTICI (ITALY) AGREED THAT THIS SHOULD BE BROADLY SPEAKING THE AIM: HAFERKAMP WOULD MAKE HIS REPORT, MINISTERS WOULD SAY WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY BUT THERE SHOULD BE NO SUBSTANTI VE DISCUSSION. THE COMMISSION HAD ITS MANDATE AND THE NEGOTIATIONS WERE NOT YET CONCLUDED.
5. ANTICI ADDED THAT THE ITALIAN AUTHORITIES WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE COMMISSION'S INTERPRETATION OF THE DIRECTIVES' APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM OF ORIGIN. THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE DISCUSSED AT THE COUNCIL, BUT AS THINGS WERE GOING IT LOOKED AS THOUGH CERTAIN DANGERS THAT THE DIRECTIVES WERE DESIGNED TO COUNTER MIGHT SUBSIST. NICOLL SUPPORTED HIM, SPEAKING ALONG THE LINES OF PARA 3(11) OF YOUR TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE.
COMMENT.
6. THE CHAIR'S REFUSAL TO PERMIT DEBATE TODAY MAKES IT ALL THE MORE NECESSARY THAT WE SHOULD PREPARE THE COMMISSION PROPERLY FOR THEIR REPORT NEXT WEEK. WE ARE THEREFORE WRITING TO CASPARI (COMMISSION) TO GIVE HIM THE SUBSTANCE OF PARAS 2 AND 3 OF YOUR TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE AS AN INDICATION OF WHAT BRITISH MINISTERS MAY WISH TO RAISE AT THE COUNCIL.
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/FCO ADVANCE