TNAG-0631-FCO40-779-Effect-of-GATT-Multi-Fibre-Arrangement-on-Hong-Kong-negotiat-1977 — Page 64

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7. AFTER FURTHER STERILE EXCHANGES, THE COMMISSION AND MEMBER STATES WITHDREW FOR INFORMAL COORDINATION. IT WAS AGREED THAT THE COMMUNITY

SHOULD FORCE THE PACE, SINCE OTHERWISE THE HONG KONG DELEGATION SEEMED, GIVEN THEIR RIGID INSTRUCTIONS, PREPARED TO PROCRASTINATE INDEFINITELY. WE ARGUED AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE COMMISSION SHOULD

AVOID BEING PLACED IN THE POSITION OF APPARENTLY BEARING THE RESPON-

SIDILITY FOR ANY BREAKDOWN IN NECOATIONS · WHICH COULD EASILY BE

MADE TO APPEAR THE CASE IF THE HONG KONG DELEGATION COULD CONTINUE

TO ARGUE, AS THEY HAD ALREADY DONE, THAT THE COMMUNITY'S OFFER WAS STILL INCOMPLETE. THE COMMISSION SHOULD THEREFORE BE CAREFUL

TO ENSURE THAT OUR DETAILED OFFER ON CROUPS 2, 3 AND 4 SHOULD BE

PASSED TO MILLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS WAS ACCEPTED.

8. RESUMING THE NEGOTATIONS, BECK TOLD THE HONG KONG DELEGATION THAT THEY WOULD BE GIVEN FULL FIGURES ON TUESDAY MORNING. THE COMMUNITY

WOULD THEN HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY. THE FINALITY OF HONG KONG'S

PROPOSALS, AND THE INFLEXIBILITY OF THEIR POSITION, SHOWED

THAT HONG KONG HAD GONE BACK ON THE DEAL REACHED PREVIOUSLY. HONG

KONG SHOULD REFLECT ON THE COMMUNITY'S FIGURES OFFERED: WE WANTED TO

REACH AGREEMENT BY THE END OF THIS WEEK ON THIS BASIS. MILLS SAID

THAT HE NOTED THAT THE COMMUNITY WERE PROPOSING A PAUSE: HE WOULD NOT

ATTEND ON TUESDAY TO RECEIVE THE COMMUNITY'S FIGURES, BUT THEY WOULD

BE NOTED BY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION. BECK DENIED THAT HE HAD

SUGGESTED A PAUSE IN THE NEGOTIATIONS: THE COMMUNITY WERE SIMPLY

WAITING FOR HONG KONG TO REFLECT ON THE FIGURES.

FCO ADVANCE TO - STERN EID(E)

CAB

DOI

HARRIS

MISS LOVNE (CT) RIDLEY

DOT - MISS MACFARLANE CRE1, ABRAMSON, GRAY

MAITLAND

FRAME EXTERNAL

FID (E)

HK & GD

MR POSNETT MA CORTAZZI

[ADVANCED AS REQUESTED]

4.

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