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WOULD BE REQUIRED.
4. ITALY, IRELAND AND SPAIN ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE MIGHT BE CERTAIN PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES BUT ANYTHING WHICH SERVED TO REINFORCE UN SANCTIONS DESERVED FAVOURABLE CONSIDERATION. THE
POOLING OF INFORMATION MIGHT ENABLE TRENDS TO BE DETECTED WHICH WOULD NOT BE EVIDENT IN PURELY BILATERAL TRADE STATISTICS. FRANCE EMPHASISED THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A FLEXIBLE SYSTEM WHICH WOULD OPERATE ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS. THEY THOUGHT THAT IT WAS POLITICALLY UNWISE TO NAME SPECIFIC COUNTRIES, AS THE COMMISSION HAD DONE IN THEIR PAPER. THEY ALSO SAW NO NEED TO ESTABLISH PARTICULAR CRITERIA FOR REPORTING TRANSACTIONS. IT SHOULD BE LEFT TO THE COMMONSENSE OF
THE CORRESPONDENTS.
5. THE PRESIDENCY CONCLUDED THAT A FLEXIBLE SYSTEM OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED BY FRANCE COULD BE USEFUL AND INVITED MEMBER STATES, ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS, TO NOTIFY THE NAMES AND FAX AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS OF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS. THEY AGREED THAT NAMING INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES WAS UNWISE, THOUGH THE BASIC CATEGORIES PROPOSED BY THE COMMISSION WERE SENSIBLE. THE COMMISSION WOULD COLLATE AND FILTER INFORMATION AND INFORM THE AD HOC GROUP OF MATTERS IT CONSIDERED RELEVANT. THIS COULD ENABLE THE EC TO TAKE ACTION WITH INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES OR AT THE UN.
6. THE UK AND THE NETHERLANDS SAID THAT THEY WOULD REPORT TO THEIR AUTHORITIES, BUT WISHED TO MAINTAIN THEIR RESERVES. GERMANY SAID THAT THEY WOULD CONSIDER NAMING A CORRESPONDENT, BUT THEY SHARED A NUMBER OF THE CONCERNS EXPRESSED BY THE UK AND NETHERLANDS. LUXEMBOURG AND PORTUGAL SAID THAT THEY TOO SAW PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES, BUT WERE WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS.
MONITORING OF EC FOOD AID
7. THE COMMISSION SAID THEY WOULD BE TAKING THE NECESSARY MEASURES.
NON-TRADE RELATED SERVICES
8. THERE WAS GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT COORDINATION BETWEEN THE TWELVE WAS DESIRABLE, BUT LITTLE IDEA ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD BE DONE. IRELAND ARGUED THAT IN PRACTICE THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AS THE FREEZING OF IRAQI AND KUWAITI ASSETS WOULD RULE OUT MOST TRANSACTIONS, WHILE CERTAIN SERVICES, EG POST, TELEPHONES WOULD HAVE TO BE MAINTAINED IN THE INTERESTS OF EC CITIZENS TRAPPED IN IRAQ AND KUWAIT. FRANCE ACCEPTED THIS, BUT THOUGHT THAT THERE MUST BE SOME SERVICES WHERE AGREED ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN. THE PRESIDENCY ASKED
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