Our reference: CFE 12922/G6 Your reference: G6/15'
BOARD OF TRADE
Commercial Relations and Export Department, RECEIVED IN
RECIOTTY Ne443.
1 Victoria Street, London S.W.1 Telex: 25955 Answer Back: BOTHQ LONDON
Telegrams: Advantage London S.W.1
Telephone: 01-222 7877, ext. 2474
мтана.
April, 1969
28
f
Residual Restrictions Group
Restrict
Thank you for your letters of 1st and 10th April which I am afraid I did not see until my retum from leave yesterday.
I nope you duly received last week, the briefing contained in TN (69) 4 Anich I arranged to be sent on in my absence. You may have noticed that on page 2 of the annex the quota figure for imports of Cuban cigars is wrongly quoted in the fourth paragraph as £1.7 million instead of 1.7 million f... Incidentally, to administer it, Import Licers ing Branch worked on a sterling equivalent of £643,571 c.i.f. (the sterling equivalent, pre-devaluation, of the dollar amount, uplifted by & to allow for the cost of freight, etc.). Following devaluation, a Cuban request for the recalculation of the quota to take account of the new sterling value was refused but for your own information the Cubans have just made a further approach on tiis subject asking for the restoration of the previous dollar value of the quota and for its progressive increase to allow Cuba to regain her share in the ".K. market; the request for the restoration of the collar value of the quota is likely to be met although any question of a further increase would probably have to wait until it is seen how the market and the usage of the quota is developing.
I ought also to mention that in the last line of page 16 of the annex "whether" should read "here". It should, of course, have been made clear that the table to which this note refers is the consequent amendment to COX.TT/62 mentioned at the bottom of page 13.
And when in due course the amendment comes to be submitted it might be as well to make it clear that "E.T.A." stands for Eastern Trade Area.
We have noted what you say about the French restrictions set out in L/2981/ADD.16. Unfortunately we have not yet seen the report on the Bilateral talks between France end Hong Kong and it is therefore difficult to comment on any action to be taken as ragards the Hong Kong aspect. The dangers of confronting the French with this in an open GATT Forum are well set out in Derek Jones's memorandum 10/69 of 22nd January although we should, no doubt, wish to preserve as necessary our right to pursue the Hong Kong question with the French. In any event you will doubtless be letting us know what transpires in the Residual Lestrictions Group. We shall have to bear this in mind when considering the broader aspects of the French restrictions referred to in your letter of 10th April, to which I an drawing the attention of the others concerned in CRE I.
I am copying this letter to Derek Jones and to Echelvie (F.C.C.), as well as to oodhead, Miss Elliott and Ingram here.
R.A. Abbott, Esq.,
United Kingdom Mission,
37-39, Rue
e Vermont,
1202 Geneva.
IŠALA MAY
нка
(J.G. HURRIS)
का
28
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