§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reasons the European Economic Community rejected the appeal from the United States of America for a third party to determine by arbitration the level of damage to its interests occasioned by the subsidised production of oilseed products; at what meeting of the Council of Ministers this decision was made; and under what voting requirements.
§ Mr. CurryThe United States proposal for binding arbitration to settle the oilseeds dispute was rejected by the Commission after consultation with a committee of senior trade officials from member states, meeting under United Kingdom chairmanship during our presidency, because of doubts about its consistency with general agreement on tariffs and trade arbitration rules and because other approaches seemed to offer wider scope for an acceptable settlement. The proposal was not put to the Council of Ministers for a formal decision. A number of further options were put forward by both sides during bilateral negotiations before agreement was reached on a satisfactory compromise.