TNAG-0762-FCO40-966-Effect-of-GATT-Multi-Fibre-Arrangement-(MFA)-on-Hong-Kong-ex-1978 — Page 110

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

CONFIDENTIAL

IN A SEMBLANCE OF LEGALITY CAUSED US CONCERN. WE ASKED FOR AN

INFORMAL PAPER SETTING OUT THE VARIOUS LEGAL POSSIBILITIES FOR ACTION AGAINST GREEK IMPORTS. THIS IDEA WAS DISMISSED BY TRAN.

11. SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

3. THE COMMISSION ARE AT PRESENT WORKING ON A REGULATION SETTING

OUT THE DOUBLE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVES ARE DISCUSSING THE SYSTEM IN LISBON THIS WEEK. TRAN ADDED THAT IF THERE WAS NO AGREEMENT ON THE PACKAGE ARRANGEMENT FOR PORTUGAL, THE PORTUGUESE WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO AGREE TO IMPLEMENT A DOUBLE CONTROL SYSTEM.

111. ACP COUNTRIES

4. TRAN SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY RELUCTANT TO ENTER INTO CONSULTATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT TEXTILES, THE ACP COUNTRIES NOW SEEMED TO BE WARMING TO THE IDEA. THE COMMISSION HAD RECENTLY RECEIVED AN OFFICIAL REQUEST FROM THE IVORY COAST (PRESUMABLY NOT UNCONNECTED WITH TRAM'S RECENT VISIT TO ABIDJAN) TO SET UP A WORKING GROUP TO DEAL WITH TEXTILE PROBLEMS. NO AGREEMENT WITH THE IVORY COAST WILL BE POSSIBLE AT THE MOMENT, BUT INITIAL DISCUSSIONS WOULD BE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. ON THE WHOLE, ACP TEXTILE EXPORTS WERE STILL A LONG WAY FROM REACHING THE LEVELS SET ASIDE FOR THEM DURING THE TEXTILE NEGOTIATIONS. BUT THE EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT BANK WAS ALREADY FINANCING SEVERAL PROJECTS IN ACP COUNTRIES AIMED AT DEVELOPING THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY AND THIS WOULD CLEARLY HAVE REPERCUSSIONS ON THE LEVEL OF TEXTILE EXPORTS

FROM THESE COUNTRIES. TRAN REASSURED DELEGATIONS THAT THE COMMISSION WAS AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF DEALING WITH THE ACP COUNTRIES AS A GROUP: BUT THERE MUST ALSO BE ROOM FOR FLEXIBILITY. THE FRANCOPHONE ACP COUNTRIES WERE LIKELY TO BE MORE WILLING TO COME TO NEGOTIATIONS THAN WOULD THE ANGLOPHONE ACP COUNTRIES WHO WERE NOT YET NET EXPORTERS,

5. WE, SUPPORTED BY THE GERMANS AND BELGIANS, STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF A COHERENT COMMUNITY TEXTILE POLICY. A FINE BALANCE WOULD HAVE TO BE STRUCK BETWEEN THE INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES IN THESE COUNTRIES OF EUROPEAN ORGANISATIONS AND THE NEED TO LIMIT TEXTILE

IMPORTS INTO THE COMMUNITY.

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CONFIDENTIAL

/B. BASKET

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