TNAG-0150-FCO40-186-Consular-endorsements-of-certificates-of-origin-for-United-A-1969 — Page 20

C. & I. 13 (Rev.) 2700011

50,000-7/68-B64568

TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS:—

BY AIR MAIL

"CANDIHONG” HONG KONG

OUR REF.:

EIC 715/2

YOUR RF

Dear Commercial Section,

PAPL.

42/6/69.

COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT,

FIRE BRIGADE BUILDING,

R&R both th Rकर

датий

For you

HONG KONG.

11th April,

have

The record AX-

U.A.R. Consular Endorsement Fees

We refer to our correspondence on the subject of U.A.R. Consular Endorsement Fees resting with your letter dated 18th February, 1969 to Mr. H.H. Stewart.

2.

The present position is that we are still actively assembling information with a view to hammering out the best mode of approaching the U.A.R. Government to have this undesirable consular endorsement levy removed. In this connection, a new development has just come to our attention. In its last meeting held in Geneva between 19th 26th March, 1969 the Committee on Trade in Industrial Products of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade considered the problem of current non-tariff barriers. Regarding his country's ad valorem consular endorsement charges the U.A.R. representative has been reported to have said in the meeting that:

3.

(a) The current U.A.R. practice is applied on a world-wide, i.e.

non-discriminatory, basis;

(b) consultations have been held on the question with Hong Kong; and

(c) draft legislation providing for the cancelling of the ad valorem

fees has been introduced.

In respect of (b) above, we cannot, from our records, establish that we have made any representations, formal or otherwise, to the U.A.R. Govern- ment and we take it that the U.A.R. representative was referring to your recent efforts on our behalf in obtaining copies of U.A.R. Presidential Decree No. 990 of 1967 and its annexed table which, as the speech implies, has led to the introduction of draft legislation aimed at having the ad valorem levy removed. You will appreciate that if this piece of information is true it will affect the terms of our representations considerably. We should be most grateful therefore if you could ascertain for us whether such legislation has in fact been introduced to the U.A.R. National Assembly.

1

1969.

Yours ever,

LAST

REF.

6

REXT

REF.

10

Commerce & Industry Department.

The Commercial Section, British Embassy,

Kasr El Doubara,

Cairo,

United Arab Republic

c. Mr. H.H. Stewart,

1.

DS/LWRM/ic

Hong Kong Department,

RECEIVED IN

REGISTRY H.21 ¡16 APR 1969

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London, S.W.1.

14041KK6/sall