:
in respect of steel or footwear.
6. The suggestions in para.4 above contain one further disadvantage. In putting forward the idea of a "fact-finding group" (which might be equated with the first part of the
proposed Working Party's terms of reference 1.e."review the situation"), the Germans evidently had it in mind not only to gain time, but also to give an opportunity of setting out the statistics of the U.S. textiles position alongside that of other countries and confronting the Americans with an independent demonstration that they had no special case for taking action restrictive of imports. There would be advan- tage in ensuring that an opportunity of this kind is provided somewhere in the programme, Obviously this kind of detailed study could not be attempted for all the products (such as steel, footwear, etc.) which might come under consideration in an exercise not restricted to textiles, and if it were attempted for a number of items, the impact on the immediate textile situation would be dissipated. Therefore the fact- finding exercise should be confined at least initially to
textilca.
7.
be:
A possible way of reconciling these requirements might
preant estinto
(1) To ensure that any terms of reference are
prefaced with a statement that the exercise is undertaken "recognising the importance of main- taining orderly progress towards the further liberalisation of/trade". These words contain an echo of the preamble of the L.T.A.("develop- ment of this trade in a reasonable and orderly manner"), but it is unlikely that we would get other developed countries to accept any more explicit reference to the concepts of burden- sharing and uniformity than is contained in the word "orderly". If asked to say what is meant by "further liberalisation" in respect of m.m.f. we could refer to the removal of voluntary restraints and the theoretical possibility of
tariff reductions.
/(ii) To
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