TNAG-0628-FCO40-776-Effect-of-GATT-Multi-Fibre-Arrangement-on-Hong-Kong-negotiat-1977 — Page 86

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4. IT WAS AGREED THAT THE COMMISSION SHOULD HAVE A FURTHER TRY TO GET

AGREEMENT WITH THE OTHER SIDE ON AN IMPROVED TEXT IN THE LIGHT THE

REMARKS WHICH HAD BEEN MADE. SEVERAL DELEGATIONS EXPRESSED PESSIMISH

ABOUT THE LIKELY OUTCOME.

5. ON 13 JULY TRAN REPORTED THE OUTCOME OF A DAWN MEETING WITH THE

US, JAPAN, HONG KONG, BRAZIL AND MEXICO. AS INSTRUCTED HE HAD TRIED

TO INTRODUCE IMPROVEMENTS INTO THE TEXT BUT HE HAD FAILED. HE SAW

NO POSSIBILITY AT THIS STAGE OF GETTING AGREEMENT ON A TEXT CONTAIN- ING ADEQUATE GUARANTEES TO COVER THE COMMUNITY'S MANDATE. AS HE SAW

IT THERE WERE NOW TWO POSSIBILITIES:

(A) AT A RESUMED MEETING OF THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE THE

COMMUNITY COULD PROPOSE PRECISE AMENDMENTS TO THE MFA. THIS

WOULD PROBABLY LEAD TO AT LEAST A TEMPORARY

TEMPORARY BREAK IN THE MEETING OF THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE DURING

WHICH THE COMMUNITY SHOULD PURSUE ITS WORK ON THE BILATERAL

NEGOTIATIONS WITH ALL POSSIBLE SPEED. IN HIS VIEW THE COMMUNITY

HAD BEEN RIGHT TO TRY THE SOFT APPROACH FIRST, BUT THE TIME HAD NOW COME TO ADOPT A MORE FORMAL APPROACH AND TO MAKE

THE COMMUNITY 'S POSITION COMPLETELY CLEAR:

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(B) THE US, WHO WERE VERY CONCERNED TO REACH ACREEMENT

AT THIS SESSION OF THE TEXTILE COMMITTEE MIGHT PUT PRESSURE

ON THE EXPORTING COUNTRIES TO MOVE TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY'S

POSITION.

6. DESPITE SOME HESITATIONS FROM THE GERMANS THE COMMITTEE AGREED THAT THE TIME HAD COME FOR THE COMMUNITY TO TABLE AMENDMENTS, IT WAS ALSO AGREED THAT THE COMMUNITY SHOULD EMPHASISE ITS WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION IN THE TEXTILE COMMITTEE

AT ANY TIME SO AS NOT TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY BREAKING OFF

OF DISCUSSIONS.

7. AT AN INFORMAL MEETING OF HEADS OF DELEGATION CALLED BY LONG (CHAIRMAN OF TEXTILES COMMITTEE) IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE

EXPORTING COUNTRIES HAD REALISED THAT THE COMMUNITY'S MANDATE

REQUIRED AMENDMENTS TO THE MFA. ANY PROSPECTS AT THIS STAGE OF

SECURING THEIR ACQUIESCENCE THAT WHAT WE WAITED WAS COMPATIBLE WITH THE PRESENT MFA HAS DISAPPEARED. THEY SUGGESTED THAT WHAT WAS NEEDED WAS A NEW COMMUNITY MANDATE. TRAN (COMMISSION) SAID THIS WOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT, BUT A NEW MANDATE WOULD CERTAINLY BE TOUGHER.

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18. LONG

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