TNAG-0300-FCO40-336-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-generalized-tariffs-preferences--1971 — Page 127

its presentation, particularly given the chopping and

changing it would seem to involve. The best line we could

take in justification (possibly in the debate in November

on the new cotton textile tariff) would be to say that we

recognised from the start that there were difficulties

inherent in combining existing UK policies with the existing

policies of the Six particularly in the light of current developments in international trade in textiles.

The

The

precise nature of the restraints on imports in 1973 will

have to be the subject of discussion with the Commission

in 1972; and indeed the overall textile policy of the

Ten including the Generalised Preference System will be

discussed within the enlarged Community in 1973.

prospect of qr will be generally welcome to Lancashire but they will expect us to secure arrangements which will not

put them at any disadvantage beside their continental

competitors.

Timing

14

With the negotiations scheduled to draw to a close

in November we cannot reasonably postpone beyond October

a request to the Community to agree on the modalities of our adaptation to the Community's Generalised Preference

Scheme. On the other hand it is clearly extremely

important that we avoid any public row about cotton

textiles before the debate at the end of October.

we might therefore do is:

a) to restrict what we say in the Conference to

What

something on the lines of "There are of course

certain problems in the cotton textile field

arising from the fact that our import regimes

are somewhat different. But we think that

these problems can be dealt with within the

I framework of the technical adaptations. which