TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1981
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TEXTILE CONFERENCE SEEN AS A SUCCESS
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THE CONFERENCE OF TEXTILE EXPORTING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HELD LAST WEEK IN NEW DELHI WAS AN UNDOUBTED SUCCESS, THE COMMISSIONER OF TRADE, MR LAWRENCE MILLS, SAID TODAY. IT FOCUSSED ON THE NEED FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO CONVERT THE PROPOSALS THEY HAD TABLED AT THE JULY TEXTILES COMMITTEE MEETING IN GENEVA INTO AN APPROPRIATE LEGAL FORMAT, HE EXPLAINED.
MR MILLS SAID: IT WAS DECIDED THAT A DRAFT PROTOCOL EXTENDING THE ARRANGEMENT REGARDING INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN TEXTILES (MFA) SHOULD BE DRAWN UP. THIS WAS DONE AND WOULD BE PRESENTED AT THE OPENING SESSION OF THE NEXT MEETING OF THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 18 IN GENEVA.
+THERE WAS SEVERE CRITICISM OF THE EEC FOR ITS LACK OF A MANDATE FOR THE MULTILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS AS WELL AS OF THE INDICATIONS WHICH THE EEC HAD ALREADY GIVEN AS TO THE PROVISIONS IT WILL BE SEEKING IN A NEW MFA, HE SAID.
MR MILLS RECALLED THAT THE UNITED STATES HAD TABLED A DRAFT PROTOCOL IN THE SEPTEMBER TEXTILES COMMITTEE, AND THAT THIS WAS EXAMINED BY THE DEVELOPING COUNTRY CONFERENCE.
THE UNITED STATES PROPOSALS ALSO CAME IN FOR HEAVY CRITICISM, IN PARTICULAR CONCERN WAS EXPRESSED AT THE ATTEMPT BY THE UNITED STATES TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST CERTAIN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BY MODIFYING THE GROWTH AND FLEXIBILITY PROVISIONS OF THE MEA, HE SAID.
+DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ARE OPPOSED TO DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT AMONG DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE. IN SO FAR AS DIFFERENT TREATMENT UNDER THE MFA IS CONCERNED, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WERE UNITED IN THEIR VIEW THAT SMALL SUPPLIERS ́ SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECTED TO RESTRAINTS OF ANY KIND, MR MILLS SAID.
+DELEGATIONS FROM SEVERAL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WILL BE ARRIVING SHORTLY IN GENEVA FOR THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE AND THE CLOSE CO-ORDINATION AND CO-OPERATION WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN ACHIEVED WILL BE CONTINUED THERE, MR MILLS SAID.
+WE SHALL BE HOLDING DAILY MEETINGS TO EXCHANGE IDEAS AND INFORMATION AND TO ENSURE THAT WE MAINTAIN THE COHESIVENESS AND FRANKNESS WHICH HAS CHARACTERISED OUR DELIBERATIONS SO FAR,+ HE ADDED.
ALL THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES PRESENT RECOGNISED THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUING TO EXCHANGE IDEAS AND INFORMATION. IT WAS AGREED IN DELHI THAT THIS CO-OPERATION SHOULD CONTINUE BEYOND THE MULTILATERAL STAGE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS INTO THE BILATERAL PHASE WHEN INDIVIDUAL AGREEMENTS UNDER MFA 3 WILL BE NEGOTIATED.
+MORE CONFERENCES OF THIS TYPE ARE PLANNED FOR 1982 WHEN THE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS ARE BEING NEGOTIATED,+ MR MILLS SAID.
/THE CONFERENCE