Reference.
Mr. Carter
Carver 515
Mr. Hannay's letter of 2 May to Mr. Ingram in part explains the reports we had heard that Mr. Purves was uneasy about his position at Brussels. Mr. Ernst, the EEC Commission Director responsible for the Community's common commercial policy proposals, had approached Mr. Purves with the suggestion that the Community's proposals for liberalisation, the establishment of quotas and surveillance procedures should be agreed so far as possible on an official basis between the Commission and Hong Kong before those proposals went to the Community for decisions. Mr. Hannay was I think justifiably uneasy about this sugges- tion, for reasons he explains in his letter - much the same reasons why we were previously uneasy at confining our representations about Hong Kong's position over preferences to off the record dis- cussions between Board of Trade officials and the Commission. Mr. Hannay told Mr. Purves this and indeed Mr. Purves' reaction to Mr. Ernst's sugges- tion seems to have been entirely correct. But Mr. Purves has no instructions from Hong Kong.
I am discussing this question of the EEC common commercial policy with TPD and BOT and will then comment further. I believe Hong Kong I have reacted non-committally to Mr. Ernst's
proposal. He is however visiting Hong Kong soon.
Чалый
Mmv
(H. H. Stewart) 7 May, 1969
It was park 5. of to which
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