ABSTRACT
The basis for Britain's position on sugar, as on so much else, was to be found in Mr. Brown's statement. The commitment under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement is a contract which must be fulfilled. The author believes that the sugar exported to Britain under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement can be accommodated within a reasonable production quota under existing Community arrangements, and without departure from the precedents. In the early stages of the Conference, the Community's consistent reaction to the proposals for the association with the Community of independent developing sugar-producing Commonwealth territories was invariably that the question of association could not be settled until the question of sugar had been settled. Mr. Rippon warmly welcomed the offer of the 1963 options, of the acceptance of Commonwealth sugar obligations until the end of 1974 and of the status quo in trade relations until the end of January 1975. But, he said, something more was needed on sugar.
