TNAG-0628-FCO40-776-Effect-of-GATT-Multi-Fibre-Arrangement-on-Hong-Kong-negotiat-1977 — Page 61

GRPS 479

IMMEDIATE

DESKEY 191308Z

CYMER CAT A

FM UMIS GENEVA 191018Z

RESTRICTED

PLA

(113)

RESTRICTED

DESKBY 191338Z

LARI

K&.

(103)

TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 370 OF 19 JULY

INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP BRUSSELS

MY TELNO 371: MFA NEGOTIATIONS: TEXTILES

RE

REG w

17 000177

4.SK 121 / 616/1

1. WHEN THE ARTICLE 113 COMMITTEE RESUMED ON 13 JULY, FIVE MEMBER

师

STATES CAME OUT IN OPPOSITION TO THE US/JAPAN/COMMISSION TEXT IN UKREP BRUSSELS TELNO 4691 THE FRENCH, DUTCH AND UK, PLUS THE IRISH

AND ITALIANS.

2. THE FRENCH DEMANDED AS A MINIMUM AMENDMENTS TO PARAGRAPH 5 (TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE WOULD NOT BE BOUND BY ANNEX B) AND PARAGRAPH 8 (TO ENSURE THAT SIGNATURE OF A RENEWED MFA WAS SUBJECT TO THE

SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION OF ALI. THE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS REFERRED TO

IN PARAGRAPH 5). THE ITALIANS ACCEPTED THE FRENCH AMENDMENTS.

HOWEVER, IN THEIR VIEW, THE TEXT DID NOT AT ALL REPRESENT THE MANDATE. THE IRISH SAID THE WAY IN WHICH THE COMMISSION HAD DEALT

WITH THE 113 COMMITTEE WAS DEPLORABLE. THEY TOO SUPPORTED THE FRENCH

AMENDMENTS BUT THEY WERE THOROUGHLY UNHAPPY ABOUT THE WHOLE APPROACH AND SCORNED THE COMMISSION'S (KLARIC) CLAIM THAT THE TEXT FULFILLED THE MANDATE QUOTE 130 PER CENT UNQUOTE. FOR EXAMPLE THE LAST SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH 7 CONTRADICTED PARAGRAPH 11(11) OF THE

DAVIGNON PAPER.

3. THE DUTCH DID NOT ATTACH MUCH WEIGHT TO PARAGRAPH 5, BUT WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE POLITICAL COMMITMENT WHICH WAS INVOLVED IN THE USE OF THE WORD QUOTE CONSENSUS UNQUOTE IN PARAGRAPH 8. THEY . SUGGESTED AS AN ALTERNATIVE QUOTE WORKING HYPOTHESIS UNQUOTE, WHICH HAD SEEN USED IN THE TEXTILE COMMITTEE'S DISCUSSIONS ABOUT RENEWAL OF THE LTA IN 1969, THE UK ALSO SUPPORTED THE FRENCH AMENDMENTS IN GENENAL TERMS AND SAID THAT THE PRESENT PARAGRAPH & WOULD BE TAKEN BY OUR PARTNERS AS A COMMITMENT TO RENEW THE MFA AND THEREFORE

SHOULD DE AMENDED,

RESTRICTED