RESTRICTED
DISPARITY - HYPOTHETICALLY ZERO IN THE UK AND 30% IN THE IRISH REPUBLIC - BUT IT IS AN APPROACH WHICH THE IRISH COULD CONTEMPLATE AND ON WHICH THE COMMISSION MIGHT WELL MAKE AN EFFORT TO GIVE THEM SATISFACTION. ARTICLE 115 WOULD BE AVAILABLE IF THE IRISH WERE TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTION. IF THEY ARE AS HARD PRESSED AS THEY SAY THEY ARE, AND WITH THEIR THIRD COUNTRY TARIFF DUE TO COME DOWN FURTHER IN SEVEN WEEKS TIME, THEY MIGHT FIND ATTRACTIONS IN THIS COURSE.
!
4. MORE GENERALLY THE IRISH ARE MORE INFLUENCED BY THE POSSIBLE REACTION OF THEIR INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC THAN BY THE PRESENT OR LIKELY.
LEVELS OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT IMPORTS FROM HONG KONG.
THAT BEING SO IT MIGHT BE ENOUGH FOR THEIR PURPOSES TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT IF AND WHEN TROUBLE THREATENS THEY WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE FIRM ACTION.
5. SINCE WE UNDERSTAND THAT CONSIDERATION IS BEING GIVEN TO ASKING HM AMBASSADOR IN DUBLIN TO INTERVENE WITH THE IRISH FOREIGN OFFICE WE HAVE NOT WEAKENED THE IMPACT BY TRYING THESE THOUGHTS CUT ON THE IRISH HERE AND WE HAVE, OF COURSE, NO AUTHORITY TO SPEAK ABOUT POSSIBLE ORDERLY MARKETING, AND ARTICLE 115 IS A FRAGMENTATION WEAPON TO BE USED ONLY WITH CIRCUMSPECTION,
6.
IN FACT, THE IRISH WOULD HAVE ANOTHER YEAR OF COMPLETE PROTECTION AGAINST PREFERENTIAL IMPORTS UNDER PROTOCOL 23 OF THE ACCESSION TREATY. IN FUTURE YEARS THE GROWTH OF HONG KONG EXPORT. POSSIBILITES WILL BE CAREFULLY CONTROLLED, BY THE IRISH AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE. IN 1975, ON PRESENT PROPOSALS, THE ADDITION OF HONG KONG TO THE BENEFICIARIES WOULD BE MATCHED BY AN INCREASE IN THE CEILINGS OF 8%, AND THAT BY VALUE.
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