France Opposes E.E.C. Concessions To Britain

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29897, 10 August 1962, Page 11

France Opposes E.E.C. Concessions To Britain

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) PARIS, August 8. President de Gaulle has no intention of yielding to British demands in the Common Market talks for agricultural concessions. British United Press said this was made clear at a four-hour meeting today of the French Cabinet. President de Gaulle returned from a holiday at his country home specially to attend the meeting.

The Government spokesman, Mr Alain Peyrefitte, briefed newspapermen after the session. The agency said he laid maximum emphasis on these aspects of French policy: France defended the prin-

ciple of total application of the Treaty of Rome as it was drawn up in 1957. The French delegation very strongly defended the market’s common agricultural policy, agreed on with “considerable difficulty” on January 14. 1962. Mr Peyrefitte said the common agricultural policy agreement was “indispensable.” This was not only because it had been signed, but also because of the “essential importance it had for the future of French agriculture.” Entry Inevitable A “Financial Times” correspondent says French officials now seem to regard British entry into the Common Market as inevitable, but they do not think it can become effective until the beginning of 1964. They are prepared to take their time . driving a hard bargain on behalf of their farmers in the autumn and they are keen to avoid

verbal compromises which ■do not represent real agreements. They point out that even when the present negotiations are successfully concluded, it will take more time to draft a treaty and to conclude negotiations with the countries of the European Free Trade Association. Finally, the French and German Parliaments, in which farmers are strongly represented, will not be in any hurry to ratify the

treaty. The French maintain that they have already gone much farther in concessions to other countries’ farmers than the United States, for example, would ever go.

French officials argue that the British Government will have a good deal of positive achievement to show the Commonwealth Prime Ministers and they seem to be acting on the assumption that the remaining gap can be closed when the negotiations are resumed; but they say that Britain cannot expect both to accept the principles of community preference and yet invoke escape clauses as soon as it has any effect on outside suppliers. The diplomatic correspondent of the "Daily Express” said intensive pressure by America to flatten French resistance to British proposals was now likely. He said the United States

was planning to "weigh in” on two fronts to clear the way for British entry. These were:

To pile on the pressure through its envoys in Brussels and Paris in an effort to tone down French hostility. Try to persuade the other five Common Market countries to undermine French resistance.

No Canadian Criticism

(N.Z. Press Assn.—-Copyright) OTTAWA, Aug. 9. The Canadian Prime Minister (Mr John Diefenbaker) has expressed satisfaction with the progress of Britain’s negotiations with the European Common Market He said next month’s Commonwealth Prime Ministers' conference in London, which he will attend with the Minister of External Affairs, Mr Howard Green, will be important in defining the future of Commonwealth inter-rela-tionships. He expressed no concern at the adjournment of the talks. He said it would give Britain an opportunity to present the Commonwealth Prime Ministers with a general outline of the negotiating position in September, hear their views, and then return to the negotiations.

Race Fight In London

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) LONDON, Aug. 9.

A fight between 150 white and coloured youths broke out in the north-west London suburb of Harlesden last night. The fight, which began at a fun fair inside a park between a white and coloured youth, quickly spread. Police in five patrol cars arrived at the scene as a hostile crowd was trying to overturn a van in which two coloured men were attempting to escape. They quickly restored order.

Typhoon Opal. Typhoon Opal this morning landed on the south-western coast of Hokkaido. Japan's northernmost island, bringing heavy rain and winds to a wide area of the island. —Tokyo, August 9.