TNAG-0298-FCO40-334-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-generalized-tariffs-preferences--1971 — Page 167

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5. WE CAN ALSO AGREE, AS YOU SUGGEST, THAT THIS SOLUTION SHOULD, AFTER ACCESSION, BE THE REGIME APPLICABLE TO HONG KONG. IN THE CASE OF ALL THE MEMBER STATES OF THE ENLARGED COMMUNITY. THE ADAPTATION OF THE OVERALL SCHEME OF GENERALISED PREFERENCES WHICH THE UK EXPECTS TO BE OPERATING UP TO THE TIME OF ITS ACCESSION TO THE SCHEME THEN BEING OPERATED BY THE COMMUNITY WILL OF COURSE RAISE A NUMBER OF TECHNICAL PROBLEMS AND I THINK IT WOULD BE USEFUL IF YOU COULD AGREE THAT THERE SHOULD BE CONTACTS BETWEEN OUR EXPERTS AS TO THE MODALITIES OF THIS ADAPTATION. G. AS TO THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS WHICH RELATE TO THE INCLUSION OF HONG KONG IN THE COMMUNITY'S SCHEME, WE TAKE NOTE OF THESE AND WE ALSO NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE ANNUAL REVIEWS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY OF THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITY'S GENERALISED PREFERENCE SCHEME.

7. WE ALSO NOTE THE COMMUNITY VIEW THAT A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PRODUCTS COMING FROM HONG KONG DO NOT SEEM TO FULFIL THE CONDITIONS OF THE RULES OF ORIGIN ENVISAGED BY THE COMMUNITY FOR USE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THEIR GENERALISED PREFERENCE SCHEME: AND THAT ANY PRODUCTS WHICH DO NOT FULFIL THESE RULES OF ORIGIN KILL DE EXCLUDED FROM ENJOYING PREFERENCES. I WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION THAT THESE RULES OF ORIGIN WILL BE APPLIED ON A NON-DISCRIMINATORY EASIS TO ALL THE BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE COMMUN- ITIES SCHEME AND I HOPE YOU WILL FEEL ABLE TO CONVEY TO MY DELEGATION THE DETAILS OF THESE RULES OF ORIGIN. I ALSO THINK IT MIGHT

-E USEFUL IF AT A CONSIDERABLY LATER STAGE AND NEARER THE TIME OF THE IMPLEMENETATION OF THE COMMUNITY'S GENERALISED PREFERENCE * SCHEME THERE COULD BE TECHNICAL CONTACTS BETWEEN OUR OFFICIALS

AND THE COMMISSION TO THROW FURTHER LIGHT ON THE PRACTICAL 1PPLICATION OF THESE RULES,

8. IF YOU AGREE, MR, CHAIRMAN, I WOULD LIKE TO SUCGEST THAT THIS STATEMENT TOGETHER WITH YOUR OWN STATEMENTS OF 12 AND 26 JANUARY BE RECORDED IN THE MINUTES OF OUR MEETING.

FCO PASS

SAVING OSLO COPENHAGEN DUBLIN

BRUSSELS SAVING PASSED

C'NEILL

/REPEATED AS REQUESTED/

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