Sweden May Propose Six-Seven Liaison Body

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30234, 12 September 1963, Page 13

Sweden May Propose Six-Seven Liaison Body

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) STOCKHOLM, September 11. Sweden is expected to propose the creation of a committee for liaison with the Common Market at the two-day Ministerial meeting of the European Free Trade Association opening in Stockholm today.

The Lord Privy Seal (Mr Heath), who heads the British delegation, called for closer co-operation between E.F.T.A.—the “Outer Seven” and the “Six” in a speech to the British-Swedish Chamber of Trade and other business groups in Stockholm yesterday.

At present the only contact between the two trading groups is through Britain, which is a member, with the “Six,” of the Western European Union. The Ministerial Council will consider proposals by the E.F.T.A. information officers for increased “Outer Seven” propaganda. It will also discuss the proposed “Kennedy round” of tariff cuts due next year, but no decisions are expected.

The “Outer Seven” are divided on whether they should be represented at these talks as a group or individually. Mr Heath firmly denied yesterday that Britain was conducting secret talks with the Common Market to have entry talks restarted. Mr Heath, who was Britain’s chief negotiator at the unsuccessful Brussels talks, also denied that there was a split within the E.F.T.A. "The United Kingdom fully understands that other members of E.F.T.A. are trying to establish a contact with the European Economic Community in order to strengthen their own trade political status,” he said. Mr Heath also spoke of the

need for an office which could co-ordinate relations between the two European trade groups. “We need to carry on a policy based on understanding of the realities within the trade blocks,” he said, noting that the West European Union was a common forum for Britain and the E.E.C. “What we are trying to do —and there is a W.E.U. meeting in October to try to achieve it is to prevent either the community or ourselves from damaging each other in our trade policies. “E.F.T.A. has always shown and is still showing its willingness to co-operate, and the E.F.T.A. grouping has come to stay until a wider European trade settlement is achieved.” Great Trading Group Mr Heath emphasised that E.F.T.A. was one of the world’s three great trading groups. Its annual external trade of about £13,500,000,000 was about the same as that of the United States, and “a shade less” than the Common Market’s. Internal tariff reductions within the two European groups meant increasing discrimination in favour of group members, “but here, toa. E.F.T.A. is willing to reduce this as much as possible through action and negotiations in the Kennedy round,” he said.