TNAG-0387-FCO40-433-Exports-of-non-cotton-textiles-from-Hong-Kong-to-the-EEC-1973 — Page 51

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FM UKREP BRUSSELS 211430Z

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21 M Goodfellow (o. 6.)

UKMIS GENEVA,

GOVERNOR HONG KONG/

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1973

TO ROUTINE FCO TEL NO 3262 OF 21 JUNE,/ INFO INFO SAVING BRUSSELS (FOR DODGE).

MY TEL NO 2814.

COMMITTEE OF PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES (DEPUTIES);

20 JUNE.

HONG KONG TEXTILES.

*

1. DISCUSSION WAS BASED ON DOCUMENT.S/704/73 WHICH SUMMARISES. THE CONCLUSION REACHED BY THE WORKING GROUP ON 29 MAY (SEE MY TEL

UNDER REFERENCE). THESE CONCLUSION WERE ENDORSED BY THE GROUP (1.E. NO IMMEDIATE NEGOTIATIONS WITH HONG KONG, A STUDY BY THE GROUP

OF THE PROBLEMS OF THE LOW COST ASIAN SUPPLIERS AND CONTINUED

EXAMINATION ON A TECHNICAL LEVEL OF THE PROBLEMS OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE FAR EASTERN SUPPLIERS, PARTICULARLY HONG KONG).

2. ERNST (COMMISSION), IN A LONG AND EMOTIONAL INTERVENTION, WENT THROUGH THE HISTORY OF THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS FOR A POLICY ON NON-COTTON TEXTILES AND FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH HONG KONG, NOT FAILING TO INCLUDE A REFERENCE TO THE UK'S CONCLUSION OF AN

AGREEMENT WITH HONG KONG JUST BEFORE ACCESSION. HE URGED

THE NEED FOR THE COMMUNITY TO DEFINE ITS POLICY ON BILATERAL

AGREEMENTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: WITHOUT SUCH A POLICY IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO DEFEND THE COMMUNITY'S INTERESTS IN THE CATT NEGOTIATIONS FOR A MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT. AS M. LONG HAD URGED, THE PROSPECTS FOR A MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT WOULD DEPEND ON SOME PROGRESS BEING MADE ON BILATERAL AGREEMENTS. HE DESCRIBED

THE LATEST SPEAKING NOTES AS AS COLLECTION OF BANALITIES. THE

COMMISSION HAD ENVISAGED SETTING THE PATTERN OF BILATERAL NEGOTIA- TIONS WITH THE HONG KONG CASE, BUT WERE NOT AVERSE TO PUTTING

FOREARD DRAFT MANDATES FOR THE OTHER THREE FAR EASTERN SUPPLIERS AS

WELL. THE COMMITTEE SHOULD AGREE A TIME LIMIT FOR THE COMPLETION

OF THE GROUP'S STUDY OF THE PROBLEM OF THE FAR EASTERN SUPPLIERS.

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