50
•
BHW/AD
communications should
be addressed to
COUNSELLOR (COMMERCIAL)
and not to individual officers
Ref. No.
H6/3/96
Commercial Department
BRITISH EMBASSY ·
35 rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, PARIS, 8(e)
Telephone: Anjou 2710 to 2715 RECEIVES IN
Anjou 0620 to 0624
REGISTRY
21 May, 1969
M
which
Thank you for sending me a copy of your most interesting memorandum No. 75 of 8 May reporting the discussions on French trade restrictions,
in Industrial Products. recently took place in the GATT Committee on Trade
It is
Disregarding the question of his personality, Monsieur Colmant does not seem to have as good a grasp of the situation as Mademoiselle Guyot. not at all correct to say that the solution to Hong Kong's difficulty lies in getting together with Collin. As Mademoiselle Guyot pointed out, the real stumbling block is the Ministry of Industry, who are extremely protectionist- minded. Collin is no more than the able negotiator who works to briefs supplied by the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture according to the product.
The real problem facing Hong Kong is that the French openly refuse to take account of the legal position, so far as GATT is concerned, when negotiating. Unless it can be shown that Hong Kong is resolved, if all else fails, to apply countervailing restrictions on French imports, it will continue to have little room for negotiation.
(B. H. Wilcox)
First Secretary (Commercial)
D. J. C. Jones, Esq.,
Counsellor (Hong Kong Affairs),
United Kingdom Mission,
35-37 rue de Vermont,
1202, Geneva.
30
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.