TNAG-0630-FCO40-778-Effect-of-GATT-Multi-Fibre-Arrangement-on-Hong-Kong-negotiat-1988 — Page 138

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INDEX

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nction Takon

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TO ROUTINE F C O TELEGRAM NUMBER 5595 OF 23 SEPTEMBER

INFO UKMIS GENEVA,

MEETING OF WORKING GROUP ON TEXTILES: 20-22 SEPTEMBERRY

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1. THE GROUP DISCUSSED AT LENGTH THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS (DOCUMENT 1/307/77) ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF PRODUCTS COVERED BY THE PROPOSED BILATERAL AGREEMENTS TO BE CONCLUDED UNDER THE M F A.

THE COMMISSION TOOK NOTE OF SEVERAL CHANGES PROPOSED BY DELEGATIONS. AND THE MATTER WILL BE DISCUSSED AGAIN NEXT WEEK. TRAN (COMMI SO! ON) GAVE A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE TREATMENT PROPOSED FOR PRODUCTS

OF VARYING SENSITIVITY. DELEGATES WERE DIVIDED IN THEIR OPINIONS OF THE COMMISSION'S APPROACH. NO SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION WAS

POSSIBLE IN THE ABSENCE OF THE RELEVANT FIGURES. THERE WAS A BRIEF

AND INCLONCLUSIVE DISCUSSION ON THE COMMISSION PROPOSALS FOR MORE

EFFECTIVE RULES OF ORIGIN.

DISCUSSION

2. NEARLY ALL THE DELEGATIONS REQUESTED SOME CHANGES IN THE

CLASSIFICATION OF PRODUCTS PROPOSED BY THE COMMISSION (ANNEX 3 OF THE DOCUMENT). TRAN (COMMISSION) STRESSED THAT THE DIFFERENT

GROWTH RATE FOR GROUPS 2 AND 3 WERE PURELY OPTICAL. THE SYSTEM

WAS SUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE NEED FOR

LOWER GROWTH RATES FOR CERTAIN SENSITIVE PRODUCTS WITHOUT THE

NECESSITY OF MOVING THEM TO ANOTHER GROUP. THE COMMISSION'S

EXPERTS WILL CONSIDER THE CHANGES PROPOSED AND THE DISCUSSION

WILL RESUME NEXT WEEK.

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3. THE GERMANS MAINTAINED THEIR RESERVATIONS ON THE IDEA OF

COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENTS AND GLOBAL CEILINGS FOR PRODUCTS OTHER

THAN IN GROUP 1. THE FRENCH SUGGESTED THAT THE FOUR GROUPS OF

PRODUCTS PROPOSED BY THE COMMISSION SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO FIVE.

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