N.Z. Excluded As E.E. C. Associate Member'

Press, Volume C, Issue 29682, 28 November 1961, Page 17

N.Z. Excluded As E.E. C. Associate Member '

(N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright;

LONDON, November 27. Common Market officials assessing which Commonwealth countries and British dependencies can be admitted as associates of the Common Market will automatically exclude Australia, Canada and New Zealand, according to diplomats of the Six quoted by the “Daily Telegraph.”

The newspaper, in a report from Brussels, said the officials would work on the assessment throughout the coming week. But according to diplomats, a clear picture of the Six’s thinking was not expected to emerge until next year. Most Commonwealth countries and British dependencies other than Australia, Canada, and New Zealand might eventually be accepted, said diplomats, but it would involve very difficult bar-

gaining which could go on for months. The "Daily Telegraph” said the British suggestion that almost all the Commonwealth nations and British dependencies might be offered association was described in Brussels yesterday as a “forlorn hope.” It quoted a member of the Italian delegation to the market as saying: “The future of the market and its momentum during a crucial phase of its existence must come first. We must not get heavily weighed down by countries on the other side of the world whose trade patterns clash with ours. “That is not to say that we cannot meet their problems in some other way and a considerable effort will be made to do so.” The “Daily Express” today predicted a House of Commons dispute and possibly a “full-blooded” Labour censure motion against the Government over the “leakage” to the United States of the British Common Market membership statement. The Opposition leader, Mr Gaitskell, intended to demand a full Government statement today about the “leakage.” it said. The “Daily Express” said M.P.’s were still baffled why Britain should have apparently sponsored the idea of keeping the full text of the statement by the deputy Foreign Secretary, Mr Heath, away from the Commonwealth when talks with the Six opened in Paris. The turnabout decision to release the full text, announced at the week-end, meant Commonwealth countries could expect to have the full statement in their hands today. Officials in London said the Commonwealth and E.F.T.A governments would see that there was nothing substantial in the full text which they had not been told in the summaries given to them shortly after the event A Foreign Office spokesman later said took its decision to give the text to Commonwealth and E.F.T.A. countries only after consultation with the Common Market Governments and the European Economic Commission. The spokesman added that the text of Mr Heath’s speech, as well as the summaries given at the time to the Commonwealth and E.F.T.A. countries, continued to be treated as confidential The “Daily Mail” said: •*That Mr Heath’s speech, which mainly concerned Britain’s economic position, should not have been circulated in full beyond the Six of the European Community was reasonable enough Moreover, it was agreed to keep it confidential and agreements are made to be honoured. "But someone leaked the entire document to the United States, after which, of course, it Id have become anybody’s business Our Government h.ve made the best of a bad job and decided to give the full text to

the Commonwealth and the E.F.T.A.” Other British comments included:— The “Scotsman”: “In deciding to give the Commonwealth and E.F.T.A. members the full text, the Government have acted wisely, though they are open to the criticism that their hands had to be forced by Opposition and Commonwealth clamour.” The “Daily Sketch”: “Tell the people should be the Government’s watchword in everything. Whatever merit there once may have been in secrecy is now far outweighed by the damage done ” Welcome in N.Z. In Wellington, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) welcomed the announcement that the full text of Mr Heath’s statement to the Six on October 10 was to be made available to the Commonwealth countries. “New Zealand has already been provided with an outline of the whole statement on Britain’s application to join the Common Market and a detailed summary of that portion which dealt with Commonwealth problems,” Mr Holyoake said. Subsequently, New Zealand had been kept fully in touch with the discussions in Brus“The full text of Mr Heath’s statement will, however, be helpful as it should enable New Zealand to view the negotiations as a whole more clearly,” Mr Holyoake said.