TNAG-0149-FCO40-185-Cotton-textiles-to-France-1969 — Page 61

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

Registry No. HKK 6/312/1

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret.

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

..In Confidence

DRAFT LETTER

To:-

Type 1 +

37

D. I. Dunnett, Esq., C.M.G.

From

H. H. Stewart

Telephone No. & Ext.

Board of Trade,

1 Victoria Street,

LONDON, S.W.1.

Department

c.c.

A. F. Toms, Esq. CRE Division 1, Board of Trade,

R. B. Tippetts, CRE Division 3, Board of Trade

S. Stewart, M.C. 1.1.

Board of Trade

0. H. Kemmis, Commercial Relations and Exports Dept., Board of Trade

не

لها

comes Falid bie

6. Sanera

of (35

HONG KONG: FRENCH IMPORT RESTRICTIONS

You will see from paragraph 18 of the enclosed Saving Despatch No. 438 from Hong Kong ( I regret that this is the only spare c I have so that I am unable to send copies to Toms, Tippetts, Kemmis and Stewart

I am coping to whom this letter is also sent) that in their annual trade talks with the French on 11/12 March Hong Kong used the licence given them as a result of your letter of 11 February to say that when the French list of

discriminatory restrictions came up for discussion in

the GATT, HMG might have to pursue the matter further

to clarify points not included in the lists.

The GATT Committee on Trade and Developments Residual Restrictions Group meets on 17/18 April. In the meantime Mr. Jones, Counsellor, (Hong Kong Affairs) at Geneva, has sent Hong Kong his telegram no. 14 of which I enclose copies. Only today when the Saving Despatch reached us were we able fully to understand this communication.

By now Mr. Jones will have made his off the

record approach to the French so that it is to that

extent too late to intervene supposing that we wished to do so. However, I should be grateful for very early advice, if you wish to offer any, on the remaining points made in Mr. Jones' telegram and in particular

on the suggestion that the question might be taken further in the Industrial Products Committee meeting beginning on 28 April.

I have sent Hong Kong a telegram to say that Mr. Jones' message is being urgently studied now that their report on the French talks has been received.