TNAG-0464-FCO40-529-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-EEC-Generalised-Scheme-of-Prefer-1974 — Page 99

PRIORITY

CYPHER CAT/A

GPS 1000

FM HONG KONG 110355Z

CONFIDENTIALREGISTR

Entun

IT OCT 1974 4.

10CC6/598/1

Study! Thes

CONFIDENTIAL FRAME DEPARTMENTAL

1974

discurand this

TO PRIORITY F C O TELEGRAM NUMBER 1017 OF 11 OCTOBER/INFO~ith the. Hawn,

KONGED(0)

PRIORITY BRUSSELS (FOR DODGE), UKREP ERUSSELS AND HONG KON GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON (FOR KIDD) (F C O PLEASE PASS).

FOR STUART FROM JORDAN,

E E C: G S P: POSITION OF HONG KONG,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER OF 3 OCTOBER.

LAST

REF.

NEXT

h

"Friday. He is I phoponing a durft hiph

REF.

171

144

911

2. WE ARE VERY GLAD TO SEE IN YOUR TELNO 910 TO UKREP THE REQUEST THAT THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG'S TREATMENT IN G S P SHOULD BE RAISED AT THE NEXT COREPER MEETING. WE NOTE FROM 152KREP TELEGRAM NO 4362 TO F C O THAT TRAN IS STILL HARPING

ON THE CLAIM THAT THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG WAS RESOLVED IN THE ENLARGEMENT NEGOTIATIONS. THIS BEING THE CASE, WE SUGGEST THAT A POINT MIGHT BE ADDED TO THOSE IN PARA 2(A) OF YOUR TELEGRAM NO 910, NAMELY THAT IN THE STATEMENT ACCEPTING THE

HONG KONG SOLUTION, H.M.G. GAVE NOTICE THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE TO PRESS FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE DISCRIMINATION

AGAINST HONG KONG: THE IMPLICATION BEING THAT THE SETTLEMENT WAS NOT AS DEFINITIVE AS TRAN SUGGESTS.

J

3. I WOULD HOPE THAT WE COULD GIVE SOME PUBLICITY TO THIS COREPER STATEMENT IN HONG KONG AS FURTHER EVIDENCE OF H.M.G. 'S CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR OUR POSITION,

14

WHILST WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE SUGGESTION THAT THIS STATEMENT BE MADE AND FOR THE FIRM LINE ON FOOTWEAR AND TEXTILES TAKEN IN THE WORKING GROUP WE ARE STILL SERIOUSLY CONCERNED BY THE DEVELOPMENTS REPORTED IN DODGE'S BRUSSELS NO 61 TO HONG KONG,

5. IT APPEARS FROM DODGE'S CONVERSATION WITH TRAN THAT CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS FOR THE 1975

GSP HAS REACHED AN ADVANCED STAGE AND THAT THE WORKING

CONFIDENTIAL

/GROUP IS

153)

p.a.