EUROPEAN TRADE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29101, 13 January 1960, Page 11

EUROPEAN TRADE

Two Blocs To Meet

(Rec, 9 p.m.) PARIS. January IX Britain, the United States, Canada, nine West European

nations and Greece will begin two days of talks in Paris today which it is hoped may herald a new era in international trade relations. Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Heathcoat Amory) said on his arrival in Paris for the talks yesterday that some sort of association should be found between the Common Market “six”—France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg—and the “outer seven” Free Trade Area of Britain, Sweden,. Norway, Denmark, Austria, Portugal and Switxer- - land.

In the light of American initiative “we may be able to find ways of extending economic cooperation on a North Atlantic basis,” he said. The United Statea Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs (Mr Douglas Dillon) said after his arrival yesterday that the conference would consider having early informal consultations on trade problems and a long-range plan for future international consultations.

The two delegates conferred yesterday. Today Ministers of both European trade groups will confer separately this morning before the 13-natlon conference opens late in the afternoon. The Western European nations attending the talks are France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Portugal.