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II. PREFERENCE COUNTRIES
1. Particular problems
(a) Malta
(i) The Commission representative recalled that,
following the United Kingdom's request concerning the adoption of safeguard measures for six categories of products in Group I, consultations had been started with Malta after which the Commission had decided to postpone adopting such measures until 23 October, in the hope of being able to find an overall solution with the Maltese authorities in the meantime.
He also informed the Committee that preliminary talks to work out the broad outlines of a multi- annual textile arrangement had resulted in the Maltese authorities' accepting a number of principles which would form the basis of. the future arrange- ment, and that, pending the completion of the negotiations, the Maltese authorities had undertaken to exercise the utmost restraint over exports of the products in question.
As the negotiations as such were due to be resumed not later than 29 October 1978, the
Commission representative said that the implementation of the safeguard mechanism from 23 October might
seriously jeopardize the outcome of the
negotiations. He stated however that this
mechanism would be immediately applied if a
satisfactory result had not been achieved in the negotiations by 30 October 1978.
S/1760 e/78 (COMER 223) kin/CBB/ac
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