CONFIDENTIAL
Cypher/Cat A
IMMEDIATE
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE ΤΟ
TO WASHINGTON
Telno 1635
21 July 1969 (OD COMMOD.)
CONFIDENTIAL NEUTRAL
77
Addressed to Washington telegram No. 1635 of 21 July.
Repeated for information to U.K. Mission New York, UKDEL EEC
Brussels, U.K. Mission Geneva and UKDEL OECD.
Cotton Textiles.
My telegrams Nos. 840 and 841 to Delhi.
Please hand a copy of statement to State Department making it clear that statement is confidential until 4.30 p.m. BST on 22
July.
Text is subject to slight last minute amendments which we
may not be able to give you before statement is made.
2.
The proposal to replace the quotas by a moderate tariff
represents a major change of policy. You should emphasise the extent to which the British industry will need to improve its performance in order to stand up to competition without benefit of
quota limitations by 1972. We hope that our example may encourage
other developed countries who already have tariffs of the same order
as we now propose to levy on the Commonwealth to dispense with quotas.
3.
There is no parallel with U.S. efforts to get the LTA
extended to cover her cotton textiles. Quite the reverse. All we should be doing would be to eliminate the greater part of existing preferential margins for most countries in the Commonwealth Preference
Areas. As the Americans know, the GATT permits us, but does not require us, to maintain preferential margins which existed in 1947.
Stewart
INTERNATIONAL TRADE DISTRIBUTION
COMMODITIES D.
EEEEE
RECEIVED IN
RG
CONFIDENTIAL
75
сть
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.