GRS 780
CONFIDENTIAL
୮
CONFIDENTIAL
FM UKMIS GENEVA
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 184
OF 171547Z APRIL 1986
ANFO PRIORITY UKREP BRUSSELS, WASHINGTON
Renne
REGISTRY
Action Taken
INFO SAVING UKDEL OECD PARIS
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 1 8 APR 1986
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
GATT NEW ROUND: PREPARATORY COMMITTEE (PREPCOM) 14-16 APRIL
SUMMARY
123/4
1. ORDERLY BUT LABOURED START TO SECOND PHASE OF WORK. IN ASSESSING
STATE OF PLAY, DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (DCS) CALLED FOR EARLY PROGRESS
ON DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS. LDCS FLAGGED LIBERALIISATION OF TEXTILES
REGIME AS MAJOR DETERMINANT OF THEIR ATTITUDES TO A NEW ROUND.
2. PREPCOM DISCUSSED STANDSTILL/ROLLBACK SAFEGUARDS AND LDC
TREATMENT IN GREATER DETAIL BUT WITH NO SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES MN ESTABLISHED POSHTHONS. NEW TEXTS CIRCULATED ON LDC TREATMENT (ALL
LDCS), ROLLBACK (URUGUAY) AND AGRICULTURE (ARGENTINA) (COPIES BY BAG
TO DTI).
3.
PUNTA DEL ESTE AGREED AS VENUE (SEE OUR TELNO 171).
DETAIL
EC COORDINATION
4. ONLY STANDSTILL AND ROLLBACK DISCUSSED. AGREEMENT ON FIRM
REJECTION OF PRE-CONDITIONS FOR LAUNCHING THE NEW ROUND OR FURTHER
CONCESSIONS ON ROLLBACK. THE DEFINING OF GREY AREA MEASURES IN
RELATION TO THE GATT WAS HIGHLIGHTED AS A KEY DIFFICULTY. A GENERAL
PREFERENCE, LED BY THE UK, FOR TAKING THE NORDIC FORMULATION ON STANDSTILL (PREPCOM (86)W/12) AS A STARTING POINT. MOST MEMBER STATES REJECTED LDC PROPOSLS FOR STANDSTILL AND ROLLBACK COMMITMENTS TO UNDERMINE THE MULTI-FIBRE AGREEMENT (MFA) (PREPCOM (86)W/3).
PREPCOM
VENUE
5. ON 15 APRIL, AFTER FURTHER CONSULTATIONS, DUNKEL HNVITED THE THREE CANDIDATES, EC, CANADA AND URUGUAY, TO SPEAK IN THAT ORDER. EC (TRAN) AND CANADA (BEESLEY) CONCEDED TO THE EMERGING CONSENSUS IN
FAVOUR OF PUNTA DEL ESTE, WITH ITS SYMBOLIC VALUE OF LAUNCHING THE
NEW ROUND IN AN LDC. BOTH MAINTAINED THEIR CANDIDACY FOR ANY FURTHER
MINISTERIAL MEETHING. EIGHT OTHER CPS, INCLUDING BRAZIL, WELCOMED THE
DECISION. NO-ONE DISSENTED.
CONTIDENTIAL
LOVERVIEW
(219)