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(B) GATT TEXTILES COMMITTEE
5. GRAY SOUGHT CONFIRMATION THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD NOT TRY TO
COMMIT THE COMMUNITY IN ANY WAY TO A PROTOCOL OF RENEWAL BEFORE
THE COUNCIL HAD TAKEN A DECISION. IT WAS ALSO ESSENTIAL THAT ANY
COMMITMENT WHICH THE COMMUNITY DID DECIDE TO ENTER INTO WOULD NOT
BE SUCH AS TO UNDO THE RESULTS OF THE BILATERALS. IN PARTICULAR
THE COMMUNITY MUST RETAIN COMPLETE FREEDOM TO ACT IMMEDIATELY
BOTH IF TRIGGER LEVELS WERE PASSED FOR UNRESTRAINED PRODUCTS FROM
SUPPLIERS WITH WHOM THERE WERE AGREEMENTS AND TO INTRODUCE
RESTRAINTS AT SIMILAR LEVELS FOR NEW SUPPLIERS WITH WHOM THERE
WAS NO AGREEMENT. DAVIGNON SAID THAT THE COMMISSION ACCEPTED THIS COMPLETELY AND REPEATED HIS ASSURANCE THAT THEY WOULD NOT CONSIDER
ANY PROTOCOL WHICH UNDERMINED THE RESULTS OF THE BILATERALS. THE
COMMISSION WOULD NOT ADVISE SIGNING A RENEWED M F A UNTIL ALL THE
SUPPLIERS WHO HAD INITIALLED MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING HAD ALSO
SIGNED THE FULL TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT. THIS MEANT THAT IT WAS
UNLIKELY THAT THE EEC WOULD BE IN A POSITION TO SIGN THE
PROTOCOL UNTIL WELL INTO JANUARY. ON THE PROTOCOL ITSELF HE
THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS NO DANDER IN THE NEW REFERENCES TO THE
TS B SINCE IT HAD NO POWER TO ENFORCE ITS RECOMMENDATIONS.
FOR THE FUTURE HE CONFIRMED THAT THE COMMISSION FULLY RECOGNISED
THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTING SWIFTLY TO DEAL WITH UNRESTRAINED SUPPLIERS INCLUDING THOSE WITH WHOM THERE WERE NO BILATERALS,
AND ADDED THAT THE COMMISSION WERE DETERMINED TO DEVOTE ADEQUATE
RESOURCES TO THE DETAILED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENTS WHICH
HAD NOW BEEN REACHED. BUT FOR THIS TO BE POSSIBLE, MEMBER STATES
MUST PROVIDE THE BUDGETARY MEANS..
(C) OTHER POINTS
6. IN FURTHER DISCUSSION GRAY RECALLED THE ASSURANCES WHICH THE
COMMISSION HAD GIVEN US DURING THE WEEKEND OF 14-15 OCTOBER · (MY TELNO 6119 REFERS) ON PRODUCTS IN ALL GROUPS AND ASKED WHETHER
THERE HAD BEEN ANY DEPARTURES FROM THESE BESIDES THOSE FOR COTTON
YARN AND CLOTH. DAVIGNON SAID THAT THE COMMISSION NEGOTIATORS HAD
KEPT TO THEM IN ALL ESSENTIAL RESPECTS.
7. GRAY MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO
MAINTAINING OUR QUOTA ON SPANISH COTTON YARN AT THE END OF THE
YEAR. DAVIGNON CONFIRMED THAT AGREEMENT WAS NO MOST UNLIKELY AND GAVE A CLEAR HINT THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD PROPOSE AUTONOMOUS
3 CONFIDENTIAL
TIA
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