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Please ory
CONFIDENTIAL
Messare
на з
Para 3 is interacting
2%
75
UNITED KINGDOM MISSION,
35-37 RUE DE VERMONT,
1202, GENEVA,
SWITZERLAND.
22 May
1969.
Flu & the Samet, ECO. OUR REF.: GVA/10/8/1 ) sin ('36 I holl int olyhty
The voir iepretion was her 256 virking soprussie im Bestling in with wishing
Plex than the list & dous, & isoto inclatit, and sucommssine the resin, mite breifty in Jaess note - paras. 4-6, and storm writes the droitin hit.
YOU REF.:
Dear Owen,
'Tous' ý u mit what ULE 5.
No Borken
JAV 28/5
I enclose a copy of a rather hurried note I have dictated on my meeting with Tran yesterday.
2.
Tran was in a pretty effusive mood and, as usual, professed himself to be optimistic in most directions, including the treatment of Hong Kong. I think that it would probably be prudent for us to take what he says with at least one or two pinches of salt but, nevertheless, he can be a useful source of information and he does clearly seem to have been charged with doing a lot of the detailed figure work on preferences.
3. I should add here that it was Tran himself who made great play with the "new" thinking in the Commission on generalised preferences being used to assist the developing Commonwealth countries and thus to ease negotiations on British entry in this sector at least. This aspect of things was certainly not raised by me although, as you probably know, it has been in my mind as a possibility for some time now. (I drew attention to it, for instance, prior to the consultations between U.K. and Hong Kong officials on the new EEC application in the summer and autumn of 1967).
4. Quite apart from the Hong Kong question I think that we should take note also of the Commission's worries over the Americans. They are afraid that the U.S. lists, when they turn up, will prove to be very disappointing and that this will weaken their position in persuading the Community on their side to be as generous as possible.
5. At the end of our talk Tran said that he would continue to keep in touch with us through Hannay in Brussels and would let us know when any significant new developments emerged in the Community's thinking on the Hong Kong question. We on our side will try to draw up in Hong Kong the bits and pieces of information which Tran asked for and will also make a further study of his new sensitive list. No doubt you will look at these lists as well in the Board of Trade and we might try to concert our views.
6. I will be leaving tonight for a short period of leave prior to going to Hong Kong until September. It looks as though not very much is going to happen now on the preferences front before the Americans put in their lists and that this will probably not be before the autumn. However, I will be kept in touch with developments from here and if, contrary to our expectations, there are significant developments, we will let you know our views.
0.F. Kemmis, Esq.,
17.
47/5
Board of Trade.
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY Nɔ.51
30MAY 1969
IKK 6/12
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