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At the same time, duty free imports for subsequent re-export are irrelevant to quota controls designed to protect Irish industry and should be outside quota altogether.
12.
As regards (d): The reference here to import controls exercised by other contracting parties against low-cost suppliers of textiles is presumably to certain restrictions imposed under the Arrangement regarding International Trade in Cotton Textiles. If so, the reference is irrelevant as such restrictions are normally agreed after bilateral negotiations between the importing and exporting countries. Only one other major G.A.T. T. country controls imports of allegedly low-cost textiles from Hong Kong discriminatorily and that is France.
13.
As regards (e): By having these discriminatory controls on imports from other G.A.T.T. countries, the Irish are in clear contravention of their basic G.A.T.T. most-favoured-nation obligations. That Hong Kong is not discriminated against within the quotas is irrelevant.
Encl.
Footnote
The reference here may be to two tariff cuts of 10% each made on 1st January 1963 and 1st January 1964 respectively, although the Irish authorities have never specifically referred to these.
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