CONFIDENTIAL
CYPHER/CAT A
PRIORITY UK MISSION GENEVA TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELEGRAM NUMBER 205
1 APRIL 1969.
CONFIDENTIAL
NEUTRAL
ADDRESSED TO F C O TELEGRAM NUMBER 235 OF APRIL 1 R FI WASHINGTON UKDEL E E C BRUSSELS TOKYO HONG KONG AND SAVING
UKDEL O E C D PARIS THE HAGUE BONN BRUSSELS BERNE ROME PARIS.
WASHINGTON TELEGRAM NUMBER 882 EUROPEAN TOUR BY THE US SECRETARY OF COMMERCE.
I SPOKE TO THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF GATT YESTERDAY AFTER HIS
RETURN TO GENEVA. HE HAS BEEN OVER THE GROUND WITH THE U S
MISSION HERE. HE DOES NOT SEE THAT HE CAN DO OTHER THAN LISTEN
TO WHAT MR STANS SAYS WHEN HE VISITS GENEVA AND EXPLAIN THE
VIEWS OF THE GATT SECRETARIAT. AS REGARDS TEXTILES, LONG'S
FEELING IS THAT THE AMERICANS WOULD NOT WANT TO NEGOTIATE
IN THE FIRST INSTANCE BUT WOULD RATHER GATHER REACTIONS.
IN LONG'S VIEW IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THERE SHOULD BE ''A
PROPER REACTION'' IN THE CAPITALS WHICH MR STANS IS VISITING.
HE PROPOSES TO''SHOW MR STANS ALL THE IMPLICATIONS'' OF
ANY PROPOSALS ON TEXTILES. HE WAS NOT CLEAR WHAT INDEED
THE AMERICANS MIGHT COME UP WITH. MR STANS' SPEECH ON 22 MARCH
COULD BE READ AS MEANING THAT THERE WAS A SHORT TERM PROBLEM
FOR WHICH SOME FAIRLY URGENT MEASURE OF RELIEF WAS REQUIRED. ON THE
OTHER HAND THE SPEECH REFERRED TO THE NEGOTIATION OF A LONGER
TERM SOLUTION. THE IMPLICATIONS FOR GATT WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT
AS BETWEEN THE ONE AND THE OTHER. THERE WAS MOREOVER THE
COMPLICATION THAT THE LONG TERM ARRANGEMENT ON COTTON TEXTILES
ITSELF FELL DUE FOR RE-NEGOTIATION THIS YEAR IN WHICH L D C
EXPORTERS OF COTTON TEXTILES ARE NATURALLY CLOSELY CONCERNED.
2. LONG SEEMED TO SEE SOME DISTTOPORTION BETWEEN THE GATT
COMPLEXITY OF MEETING THE AMERICANS ON A FORMAL ARRANGEMENT
ON WOOL AND MAN MADE FIBRES ON THE ONE HAND AND THE RELATIVE
NARROWNESS OF THE ISSUE ON THE OTHER: IT WAS A QUESTION OF ONE
LAINDUSTRY,
WINDUST
NOT PATENTLY IN GREAT DIFFICULTIES, AND FOUR EXPORTERS.
BFF
ft.
44
56.57
CONFIDENTIAL
/THE
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.