RESTRICTED
GRS 800
HKK 121/616/1
MMEDIATE
CYPHER CAT A
FM UKMIS GENEVA 150745Z
RESTRICTED
DESKBY 150930Z
[FRAME EXTERNAL]
[ FRAME ECONOMIC]
TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 672 OF 15 DECEMBER
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP BRUSSELS
MY TWO IPTS : TEXTILES/MFA
Ki
1:25
413/412
tren
414
1. LONG OPENED THIS MORNING'S MEETING OF THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE
BY INVITING ATTENTION TO THE TEXT OF A DRAFT PROTOCOL EXTENDING
THE MFA (INCLUDING AS AN ATTACHMENT THE PROPOSED CONCLUSIONS OF
THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE) WHICH HAD BEEN PREPARED BY THE SECRETARIAT
ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMEROUS INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS OVER THE PAST TEN DAYS AND WHICH WAS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE AS COM.TEX/W/47. (TEXT AS CIRCULATED TO COREPER -SEE MY FIRST PT). ON THE BASIS OF
THE INFORMATION THAT HAD REACHED HIM LONG HAD THE IMPRESSION_
THAT A BROAD CONSENSUS HAD BEEN REACHED ON ITS CONTENTS AND IF
THERE WERE NO COMMENTS TO THE CONTRARY HIS INTENTION WAS TO
OPEN THE PROTOCOL FOR SIGNATURE. AFTER A LONG ENOUGH SILENCE HE DECLARED THE PROTOCOL OPEN ACCORDINGLY AND PROCEEDED TO INVITE
THOSE DELEGATIONS WHO MIGHT HAVE DECLARATIONS TO MAKE FOR THE RECORD
TO DO SO.
2. THE US (SMITH) ANNOUNCED SOME MEASURE OF SATISFACTION, ADDING THAT
NOW THAT THE MODALITIES OF RENEWAL HAD BEEN NEGOTIATED IT WAS
INCUMBENT ON EACH PARTICIPANT TO IMPLEMENT THEM. JAPAN (SAKAI) IN AN INTERVENTION THAT SOUNDED DISTINCTLY PETULANT, RECALLED THAT THEY
HAD ALWAYS FAVOURED STRAIGHTFORWARD EXTENSION OF THE MFA
UNCHANGED. THEY HAD BEEN QUITE WILLING FOR THERE TO BE SOME
CLARIFICATION OF RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS AS WELL AS SOME SECURING
OF FLEXIBILITY IN PRACTICAL APPLICATION. BUT THEY WERE NOT FULLY HAPPY
WITH THE PROTOCOL TEXT AND IT THEREFORE REQUIRED A CONSIDERABLE
POLITICAL EFFORT ON THEIR PART TO ACCEPT IT. THEY WOULD IN ANY
RESTRICTED
/ CASE HAVE