TNAG-0630-FCO40-778-Effect-of-GATT-Multi-Fibre-Arrangement-on-Hong-Kong-negotiat-1988 — Page 21

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

CONFIDENTIAL

3.

SCHEER (FRANCE) SAID THAT THE FIGURES THAT HAD BEEN SUPPLIED HAD BEEN EXAMINED BY HIS AUTHORITIES. IN THE LIGHT OF THIS EXAMINATION THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT COULD AGREE THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS SHOULD START AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON THE BASIS OF THE DIRECTIVES IN S/1509 AS SUPPLEMENTED BY THE TABLES PROVIDED IN THE WORKING GROUP FOR GROUP 1 AND 2 PRODUCTS. HE ADDED THAT:

(1) FOR THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT THE LEVEL OF IMPORTS AGREED IN

THE GROUP FOR GROUP 1 PRODUCTS IN 1991 WAS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE NEGOTIATING DIRECTIVES.

(11) AS REGARDS THE DISTRIBUTION AMONG SUPPLYING COUNTRIES IT WAS

INDISPENSABLE THAT THE GROWTH RATE FOR STATES ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE HIGHER THAN THE COMMUNITY AVERAGE. IF NECESSARY THE COMMUNITY RESERVE SHOULD BE USED TO ACHIEVE THIS.

(111) IN A REFERENCE TO FOOTNOTE (2) ON PAGE 3 OF S/1509 SCHEER

SAID THAT IT WAS INCONCEIVABLE, IF THERE WAS ANY PROPOSAL FOR A REDUCTION IN A SUPPLYING COUNTRY'S LEVEL OF IMPORTS, THAT ANY MEMBER STATE SHOULD SUFFER A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE UNDER THE BURDEN-SHARING FORMULA.

(IV) ON THE HANDLING OF THE NEGOTIATIONS THE COMMUNITY SHOULD

PROCEED BY TWO STAGES. IN THE FIRST STAGE IT SHOULD LIMIT ITSELF TO NEGOTIATING WITH SUPPLIERS LEVELS OF IMPORTS FOR THE WHOLE OF THE COMMUNITY. THE DISTRIBUTION OF IMPORTS AS BETWEEN MEMBER STATES WAS STRICTLY SPEAKING AN INTERNAL MATTER AND SHOULD BE NEGOTIATED INTERNALLY IN THE SECOND STAGE. FRANCE WAS NOT TRYING TO PUT IN QUESTION THE

AGREEMENTS ALREADY REACHED ON THE BURDEN-SHARING FORMULA BUT THIS PROCEDURE SHOULD ENABLE NEGOTIATIONS TO BE ACCELERATED. WHEN IT CAME TO ARRANGING DISTRIBUTION AMONG MEMBER STATES, EXISTING TRADE FLOWS SHOULD BE RESPECTED.

J

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CONFIDENTIAL

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