THE GATT MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
THE POSITION REACHED BY THE BEGINNING OF MAY 1978
1
The pace of the negotiations has visibly accelerated since the
beginning of the year. On 9 and 10 April representatives of the main
negotiating parties met in Geneva to assess progress. They included
US Special Trade Representative, Mr Robert Strauss, Commissioner
Haferkamp of the European Communities and Minister Ushiba of Japan.
The main results of these discussions were
a)
The major participants confirmed that they intend to reach
agreement on the main elements in the negotiations by mid July (and
before the world economic summit meeting in Bonn that month) leaving
details to be settled before the end of the year. This continues to be
an ambitious timetable.
b) There was some convergence of views over the vexed question of
subsidies/countervailing. The United States, in the face of strong
Congressional pressure, have been seeking a tough international code
disciplining the use of domestic and export subsidies to industries
which they regard as leading to a distortion of normal trade
flows; the Community and Japan have been seeking clarification
of a corresponding US commitment only to levy countervailing duties on
imports where these cause their own industry material injury; and such
convergence as there has been has involved more in the way of
a common recognition of each other's problems than a common recognition
of how these might be solved in a mutually satisfactory way.
c)
Some progress has been made among the developed countries on
acceptance of the Communities' proposal that safeguard measures taken
under Article XIX of the GATT can be taken on a selective basis. There
are still major differences of view however over the framework within
which such action might be taken and we are by no means home and dry
on this issue.
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Private notes are available after approval.