TNAG-0149-FCO40-185-Cotton-textiles-to-France-1969 — Page 40

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ROUTINE UK MISSION GENEVA TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

UK MISSION GENEVA TELEGRAM NO.15 TO HONG KONG OF 16 APRIL, 1969

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[NEUTRAL]

Cura

ADDRESSED TO HONG KONG TELEGRAM NUMBER 15 OF 15 APRIL REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO F C O PARIS (FOR WILCOX) HONG KONG GOVERN-

MENT LONDON OFFICE.

YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 4.

FROM JONES.

4

RECEIVED IN R”GISTRY Nɔ.51

18 APR 1969

HKK 6/12/1

GATT RESIDUAL RESTRICTIONS GROUP HAD CONCLUDED BY THE

TIME YOUR TELEGRAM ARRIVED.

2. FRENCH HAVE AGREED TO NOTIFY TWO PRODUCTS, 85.93 AND 85.10 RESTRICTED ONLY TO HONG KONG. THIS UNDERTAKING IS INCLUDED IN REPORT TOGETHER WITH MY STATEMENT EXPRESSING THE HOPE THAT THESE ITEMS WILL BE LIBERALISED AT AN EARLY DATE. THEY DID NOT AGREE TO NOTIFY WHOLE HONG KONG LIST BUT I MADE IT CLEAR THAT ALL HONG KONG QUOTAS WERE SEPARATE AND THEREFORE DISCRIMINATORY. I DID NOT PRESS TO HAVE THIS VIEW INCLUDED IN REPORT AS DOCTRINAL ISSUES CAN BE PURSUED LATER IN INDUSTRIAL COMMITTEE OR IN RELATION TO WHAT EMERGES ON NEW ZEALAND PROPOSALS IF WE SO WISH. COLMANT APPEARED

TO BE QUITE HAPPY WITH PROCEEDINGS.

3. I ALSO MADE POINT THAT FRENCH ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY QUOTAS ON NON-

COTTON TEXTILES AS COVERED QUOTE IN A SUBSIDIARY WAY UNQUOTE BY

THE C T A WAS NOT VALID AND THAT THESE ITEMS SHOULD BE INCLUDED

IN LIST OF PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO Q RS TOUT COURT. THE SECRETARIAT HAD INCLUDED SOME FRENCH NON-COTTON ITEMS IN COM.TD/W/93 AND AT

MY REQUEST THEY WILL ADD CLOTHING ITEMS IN CHAPTERS 60 AND 61. I

POINTED OUT THAT FRENCH QUOTAS FOR HONG KONG IN THESE CHAPTERS WERE

VERY SMALL.

4. THE PROCEEDINGS WERE ON THE WHOLE DESULTORY AND THE JAPANESE

WERE LET OFF LIGHTLY, AS WERE THE FRENCH FOR THAT MATTER. BUT THE GROUP WILL PROBABLY EXAMINE SELECTED ITEMS (INCLUDING YARN, FABRICS

AND GARMENTS OF NON-COTTON FIBRES, LEATHER AND LEATHER PRODUCTS

AND FOOTWEAR OF LEATHER) IN MORE DEPTH AT A LATER STAGE. FINAL

AGREEMENT ON A PRIORITY LIST COULD NOT BE REACHED OWING TO A

BRANGLE OVER THE TREATMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.

“༦/

REF

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