TNAG-0464-FCO40-529-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-EEC-Generalised-Scheme-of-Prefer-1974 — Page 19

GRS 390

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CYPHER CAT A

FM UKREP BRUSSELS 2517W5Z

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FRAME FILES

1974

TO ROUTINE F C O TELNO. 4699 OF 25 OCTOBER INFO SAVING BRUSSELS (FOR

BURGESS H.K.O.).

1.

MEETING OF COMMITTEE OF PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES (DEPUTIES): 25 OCTOBER.

GENERALISED PREFERENCES.

THE COMMITTEE HAD TIME FOR ONLY A BRIEF DISCUSSION ON GSP IN THE COURSE OF WHICH IT COVERED OUR REQUESTS FOR INCREASES IN QUOTAS FOR PLYWOOD AND TOBACCO FOR 1974 AND TOUCHED BRIEFLY ON FOOTWEAR FOR HONG KONG.

2. CAZIMAJOU (FRENCH CHAIRMAN') SAID THE UK REQUESTS FOR INCREASES IN THE QUOTAS FOR TOBACCO AND PLYWOOD POSED AN UNSOLUBLE PROBLEM FOR THE COMMITTEE SINCE SOME DELEGATIONS WERE FIRMLY OPPOSED TO MID-YEAR CHANGES IN THE GSP. HE SAW NO PROSPECT OF A CHANGE IN THOSE DELEGATIONS POSITIONS EVEN IF THIS MATTER WERE AGAIN BROUGHT UP AT THE COUNCIL. GOLDSMITH (UK) SPOKE AS IN YOUR TELNO. 940. THESE WERE IMPORTANT PRODUCTS FOR US AND FOR THE EXPORTING COUNTRIES AND THE QUOTAS HAD BEEN ERODED BY INFLATION. WE WERE DISAPPOINTED BY THE REACTIONS OF MEMBER. STATES AND MUST KEEP OUR REQUESTS ON THE TABLE. WHAT THIS PROVED WAS THAT THE QUOTAS SHOULD BE FIXED IN VOLUME TERMS AND SHOULD BE AT A SUFFICIENTLY HIGH LEVEL. THE COMMITTEE SHOULD BEAR THESE LESSONS IN MIND IN DISCUSSIONS ON THE QUOTAS FOR 1975. THE CHAIRMAN SAID THAT HE TOOK OUR POINT ABOUT CONVERSION TO A COLUME BASIS AND WOULD BEAR IT IN MIND.

3.

THE CHAIRMAN SAID THAT IM VIEW OF LACK OF TIME HE PROPOSED TO DISCUSS ONLY ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE GSP FOR 1975: FOOTWEAR FOR HONG KONG. HE ASKED DELEGATIONS WHETHER IN VIEW OF THE POSITIONS TAKEN UP THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY OF REACHING A COMPROMISE SOLUTION, WHICH MIGHT INVOLVE SOME ADJUSTMENT IN THE SIZE AND DETAILS OF THE QUOTAS, IN THE WORKING GROUP. THE IRISH SAID THAT AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED THERE WAS NO POSSIBILITY OF A COMPROMISE SOLUTION.

/THE

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