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5. IN CONCLUSION THE COMMISSION WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE COUNCIL
SHOULD ADOPT THE BILATERAL AGREEMENT CONCLUDED AND SHOULD RENEW THE
MFA IF:
(A) AGREEMENT COULD BE REACHED IN GENEVA ON THE TEXT OF THE NECES- SARY PROTOCOL.
(B) OTHER COUNTRIES INVOLVED ACCEDED TO THIS PROTOCOL.
(C) A SOLUTION WAS FOUND TO THE COTTON YARN AND COTTON CLOTH PROBLEM.
(D) THE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WERE PROPERLY FINALISED.
6. NICOLL (UK) CONVEYED OUR CONGRATULATIONS (WHICH WERE ECHOED BY ALL OTHER SPEAKERS) TO THE COMMISSION SERVICES FOR COMPLETING AN
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TASK. MEMBER STATES COULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO COM-
MENT IMMEDIATELY IN DETAIL ON THE COMMISSIONER'S STATEMENT, STILL LESS ON THE DOCUMENTS DISTRIBUTED. THE UK REMAINED HIGHLY SENSITIVE
TO A NUMBER OF PRODUCTS. WE NEEDED FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW PROD-
UCTS WOULD BE SHARED OUT AMONG THE MEMBER STATES. ON THE DRAFT PROT-
OCOL IT SHOULD BE MADE CLEAR TO THE COMMUNITY'S INTERLOCUTORS AT GENEVA THAT ANY TEXT NOW BEING DISCUSSED HAD NOT BEEN AGREED BY THE MEMBER STATES, WAS IT THE CASE THAT WE WERE NOW EXPECTING A RENEWAL OF THE MFA SUBJECT TO QUALIFICATIONS SET OUT IN THE RENEWAL PROTOC- OL? KITTEL (GERMANY) SAID THAT THE PROBLEMS OF COTTON YARN AND COT- TON CLOTH SHOULD BE SEEN IN PERSPECTIVE. NO ONE OUGHT TO TAKE RES- PONSIBILITY FOR JEOPARDISING THE WHOLE PACKAGE, ON ACCOUNT OF THESE PRODUCTS. HIS AUTHORITIES CONSIDERED THAT WHAT THE COMMISSION WERE DOING IN GENEVA WAS WHOLLY CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENTIONS OF THE COUNCIL, WHICH WERE TO AVOID THE APPLICATION OF AUTONOMOUS MEASURES WHICH WOULD INEVITABLY RESULT FROM THE NON EXTENSION TO THE MFA. FOR THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT SUCH AN OUTCOME WOULD BE OUT OF THE QUESTION. PLAJA (ITALY) SUPPORTED THE UK POSITION AND INSISTED THAT IT WAS ALMOST INCONCEIVABLE THAT ITALY COULD MAKE ANY FURTHER CONCESSIONS ON COTTON YARN OR CLOTH. THE ITALIAN AUTHORITIES WERE STILL WORRIED ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF RULES OF ORIGIN AND WOULD NOT AGREE TO THE PACKAGE OF BILATERALS UNTIL THIS HAD BEEN CLEARED UP. THEY WOULD RAISE IT AT THE COUNCIL. SCHEER (FRANCE) SUPPORTED OUR REQUEST FOR A BREAKDOWN OF FIGURES AMONG MEMBER STATES. ON THE RENEWAL PROTOCOL IT WAS ESSENTIAL AT THIS STAGE THAT NO COMMITMENT BE UNDERTAKEN WHICH WOULD HAMPER THE COMMUNITY'S FREEDOM IN CONCLUDING THE BILAT-
ERAL AGREEMENTS.
17.
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