TNAG-0135-FCO40-171-Tariff-preferences-for-developing-countries-1969 — Page 186

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Reference...

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UNCTAD Tariff Preferences for

developing countries

I have four points on your revised draft. These could perhaps be dealt with in the Board of Trade if the paper is to go forward immediately.

a) Paragraph 4 should make it clear that one

objective of the E.E.C. in offering duty-free quotas is to guarantee a preference in their market for the Yaounde countries against the Commonwealth. This comes out more clearly in the reservation for jute and coir products.

b) The formula in paragraph 7 does not cover products which include 5 per cent or more of man-made fibre, or, for that matter, other products which are dutiable on importation from the Commonwealth. If imports from the developing Commonwealth were to be included in the basic quota, Hong Kong would probably have more than 50 per cent of the trade in m.m.f. products.

c)

Paragraph 12 does not make the important point that in the foreseeable future most of our duty-free imports from the developing countries will come from the Commonwealth and E.F.T.A.; and that it is highly unlikely that the E.E.C. would agree to extend duty-free quotas to the whole of this trade if we joined the Community.

a) The difficulty mentioned in the last sentence of Paragraph 16 could be overcome by excluding all developing countries, i.e. by contracting out of the scheme, or by excluding a wide range of products of interest to the Commonwealth. This would not be just for the sake of the Commonwealth. British industry is on the receiving end of these imports and Ministers' would be. in trouble if we did not succeed at the end of the day.in shifting part of the Commonwealth burden.

S. STEWART,

Ind. 1 Div.,

2nd September 1969.

D. CARTER (T)

c.c. Mr. Wells (Sec),

Mr. Peck

11

Mr. Denman (G.1), Mr. Goldsmith (CR1), Mr. Sanders (CRE2), Mr. Preston (CRE3) Mr. MacMahon (CRE4).

RECEIVED IN

REGISTRY No.51 12 SEP 1969

HICKO/R

Nr. Murray Пижам

developments

In view of the I mentioned to you,

ple reuse this with the pipe.

бы

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