TNAG-0628-FCO40-776-Effect-of-GATT-Multi-Fibre-Arrangement-on-Hong-Kong-negotiat-1977 — Page 73

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TO IMMEDIATE UKREP BRUSSELS TELNO 1559 OF 18 JULY 1977;

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA,

INFO PRIORITY ALL OTHER E. E C POSTS, WASHINGTON, TOKYO

YOUR TELS NOS 4690 AND 4691 TEXTILES: RENEWAL OF THE MF A

1. OFFICIALS HAVE NOW CONSIDERED THE SITUATION AND WILL BE

REPORTING TO MINISTERS. PLEASE CALL ON D'AVIGNON AS SOON AS

POSSIBLE AND MAKE THE POINTS IN PARAS 2 TO 7 BELOW.

2. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE UK AND OF ALL OTHER MEMBER STATES MUST

REMAIN THAT OF THE COUNCIL'S AGREED MANDATE TO THE COMMISSION.

WE MUST KEEP OPEN THE TWO POSSIBILITIES OF THE COMMUNITY ATTAINING

THESE OBJECTIVES BY MODIFICATIONS TO THE M F A OR OF THE COMMUNITY

DECIDING NOT TO SIGN A RENEWED M F A, IF IT DOES NOT ATTAIN I ITS OBJECTIVES. MUCH WILL DEPEND ON THE RESULTS OF THE BILATERAL

MEGOTIATIONS. THE COMMUNITY SHOULD THEREFORE NOT GIVE A FIRM

INDICATION AT THIS STAGE THAT IT IS WILLING TO SIGN AN UNCHANGED

MF A. BRITISH MINISTERS MUST BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE PUBLICLY THAT THE

COMMUNITY'S POSITION IS AS ABOVE AND MUST BE ABLE TO SAY THAT ITS

POSITION IS FULLY UNDERSTOOD BY ALL THE COMMUNITY'S NEGOTIATING

PARTNERS IN THE GAT T TEXTILES COMMITTEE.

3. WE WELCOME M DAVIGNON'S STATEMENT (YOUR FIRST TELEGRAM UNDER

REFERENCE) THAT THERE IS NO COMMITMENT TO SIGNATURE, BUT OUR FIRST VIEW OF PARAGRAPH 8 IS THAT, TAKEN BY ITSELF, IT DOES NOT (REPEAT NOT) PROVIDE THE ASSURANCES BRITISH MINISTERS WILL NEED.

CONCEPT OF THE COMMISSION APPROACH IS NOT IN ITSELF NECESSARILY

UNACCAPTABLE TO THE U K BUT WE SHALL NEED MUCH FIRMER ASSURANCES,

IDEALLY IN A REDRAFTED TEXT OF THIS PARAGRAPH. IF A REDRAFT IS

NOT ATTAINABLE, WE SHALL NEED A PUBLIC COMMITMENT OF EQUÍ VALENT

EFFECT,

THE

14. WE SHALL

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