do to equalising as nearly as possible the competitive conditions for textile producers throughout the Community and to the continuing evolution of a viable Community textile industry. Our objective in tó soo established as soon as possible a genuine common market for textiles and a single import regime for the whole Community. Quce imported, textiles from third countries should be free to move to may part of the Community so that the present artificial inequalition Ja import burdens imposed on industries by differing national roțimen would disappear. We favour, as we understand our Community partners in general do, that quotes would not be regarded in the long run ng a permanent form of protection. It will, however, be essential to be able to retain or apply quantitative restrictions selectively to dent with disruptive imports under international rules which we, like you, would like to see embodied in a new GATT agreement covering textilen and clothing of all fibres.
We have, as you know, already floated some ideas with our Community Dartners to this end. We shall of course be bound ourselves by the Community policy once it is established, including the transitional measures which will be necessary for a period while national practices are adapted to the common system. In the meantime we ninil aim to follow policies ourselves which are directed to the principlen we would like to see generally adopted.
It follows that as regards imports of non-cotton textiles from low- cost sources we should be prepared to introduce quantitative restrictions to deal with cases of disruption. Like you I believe that this should be done selectively. The achievement of a prosperous and competitive textile industry, capable of adapting; in siac and character to changed circumstances the growth of international trade and the interest of consumers would clearly not be helped by wholesale and uncritical resort to import restrictions. I also think it essential in every case to be clear why restraints are being introduced eg to give time for re-devolopment of labour in n declining sector or for potentially competitive producers time to nchieve viability. In this connexion we would like to discuss with the industry the possibility of identifying in a broad way the sectors which offer the best long-term prospects and which there would be the strongest interest to support.
Against this background, where the United Kingdom textile industry believes that there is a risk of injury to a particular sector serious enough to warrant examination, wo shall be prepared to consider proposals for import restraint (normally to be negotiated with the exporting countries). In considering such proposals, wo shall, of course, have to take account, as we must do from now on,
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