TALKS ON E.E.C.

Press, Volume C, Issue 29624, 21 September 1961, Page 16

TALKS ON E.E.C.

Meetings In London (Special Crspdt NZP.A.) LONDON, Sept. 19. New Zealand and British officials are believed to have started bilateral discussions on commodities today, after yesterday’s meeting when officials of seven Commonwealth countries began talks in preparation for the Uni’ed Kingdom's negotiations for membership of European Economic Community. In view of the strict secrecy of bilateral discussions, no indication has been given of which commodities are under review. The most being said is that a series of meetings have been planned for the coming fortnight when there will be an exchange of views of governmental policies and attitudes.

Common Market Finance Ministers are themselves making it clear to the Commonwealth Finance Ministers that Britain will be forced to choose between the Commonwealth point of view and the Common Market point of view.

Britain cannot be expected to be given too cheap an admission ticket to the Common Market. While it is still evens that she will go in, the negotiations are likely to be much longer and much more difficult than people thought a month ago. There is no doubt that the British ministers got a pretty considerable shock at Accra last week.