XN000022-1993-05-27 — Page 7

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 1993

MR MILLER ALSO WELCOMED RECENT SIGNS THAT AMONG MAJOR PLAYERS WHICH HAS STALLED THE URUGUAY BEING ADDRESSED.

THE DISAGREEMENTS ROUND TALKS WERE

"THE TALKS HAVE ALREADY GONE ON FOR FAR TOO LONG. ANY FURTHER DELAY IN RESOLVING DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE MAJORS WOULD JEOPARDISE A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION."

AS FAILURE TO CONCLUDE THE ROUND BY THE END OF THIS YEAR WOULD UNDERMINE THE CREDIBILITY OF THE PROCESS, MR MILLER SAID HE WAS PLEASED AT THE APPARENT WILLINGNESS OF EUROPE AND AMERICA ΤΟ FIND A WAY FORWARD.

HOWEVER, HE CAUTIONED AGAINST THE COMPLACENCY AMONG THE MAJOR PLAYERS AS WELL AS ANY ATTEMPT TO UNRAVEL ANY PART OF THE CAREFULLY BALANCED PACKAGE PRODUCED IN DECEMBER 1991.

"THIS IS A MULTILATERAL PROCESS, NOT A BILATERAL ONE.

"IT WOULD BE WRONG FOR SOME OF THE LARGER PLAYERS ΤΟ ASSUME THAT ONCE THEY HAVE SETTLED THEIR DIFFERENCES, THE DEAL IS DONE.

"NOR SHOULD THEY EXPECT OTHER PLAYERS TO FIND WAYS ΤΟ SWEETEN THE DEAL FOR THEM.

**

MR MILLER DREW ATTENTION TO TWO PARTICULAR AREAS OF CONCERN то HONG KONG: THE PROPOSED PHASE-OUT OF THE MULTI FIBRE AGREEMENT (MFA) AND ANTI-DUMPING CODE.

HE NOTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A NUMBER OF REPORTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA WHICH SUGGEST CERTAIN PLAYERS WOULD LIKE A LONGER PHASE-OUT PERIOD FOR THE MFA.

THE CLAIM THAT THEIR HEAVILY PROTECTED INDUSTRIES COULD NOT STAND BOTH A REDUCTION IN TARIFFS AND A PHASE-OUT OF THE MFA IS NONSENSE, HE SAID.

"THE MFA, WHICH IS A DEROGATION FROM THE FREE TRADE SYSTEM UNDER THE GATT, WAS INTRODUCED 19 YEARS AGO IN ORDER то ALLOW THESE SAME INDUSTRIES TIME TO ADJUST."

"SURELY TO GOODNESS THEY HAVE HAD ENOUGH TIME TO DO SO.'

IN HONG KONG'S CIRCUMSTANCES, MR MILLER SAID: PHASE-OUT THE MFA IS ALREADY TOO LONG.

"TEN YEARS TO

ON ANTI-DUMPING, MR MILLER STRESSED THE

NEED

то TIGHTEN NOT

LOOSEN DISCIPLINE.

ONE OF

THE

MOST

DANGEROUS AND

"ANTI-DUMPING HAS BECOME DAMAGING WEAPONS IN THE PROTECTIONIST ARMOURY.

"WE HAVE INDUSTRIALISTS ALREADY PROTECTED TARIFFS AND BY EXPORT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS FILING AGAINST THE MOST OPEN ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD.

11

HIGH

BY BOTH VERY ANTI-DUMPING SUITES

/UNDER THE