TNAG-0135-FCO40-171-Tariff-preferences-for-developing-countries-1969 — Page 93

CONFIDENTIAL

117

United Kingdom Mission,

Hong kong Office,

37-39 rue de Vermont

1202 Genève,

Switzerland.

Ref. GVA/10/8/1

2 October 1969

و

Preferences:

EEC and Hong Kong

Many thanks for your letter of 24 September which I

received in Paris.

2

Owen Kemmis and I were able to have close consultations

on tactics during the meeting last week and we did our best

to ride the dilemma posed in your paragraph 4, a problem

which had been on my mind for some time. My conclusion,

with which Owen agreed, was that, while in the last resort

we will, if necessary, have to force the issue of Hong Kong's

status within the Ad Hoc Group in Paris before the question is

substantively opened with the developing countries in UNCTAD,

we should choose our timing and opportunity carefully and

make it as late as possible. In the meantime we should

continue the policy of keeping up bilateral pressure in the

corridors, especially with the EEC and the U.S.

3. As it happened we did trail our coat a little when the

subject of beneficiary countries came up in the Ad Hoc Group.

Owen made a strong statement reiterating HMG's adherence to

the self-election principle as set out in the Report of the

Special Group of Four, i.e. "all countries, territories and

/areas

R. Goldsmith, Esq.,

Board of Trade.

CONFIDENTIAL

p..

113)

ALA.

REF.

7