Mr Kirk worried

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32613, 22 May 1971, Page 1

Mr Kirk worried

Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 21. New Zealand should be more concerned than ever over the state of Britain’s E.E.C. negotiations, said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) at Auckland Airport today. Just back from a six-week visit to Britain and the Common Market countries, Mr Kirk was noticeably concerned about the state of the negotiations. “The break-through announced by Mr Rippon (Britain’s chief negotiator with the E.E.C. countries) last week should cause a lot of concern in this country,” said Mr Kirk.

“This break-through brought with it a transitional agreement .for the sugar producers, and if New Zealand is offered the same sort of agreement it would be completely unsatisfactory. We need something, more concrete.” CAUTION URGED

Mr Kirk said that in the hurry ' to secure an agreement for New Zealand, negotiators must be careful not to give away what is a valid part of New Zealand’s case. “we have put our case apd it's a fair claim to put before Britain to protect our interests,” he said. "To accept anything less than we have asked for would be wrong.

"An arbitrary time factor in any agreement we make would be unrealistic.” Mr Kirk said that growers in the sugar-producing countries covered by the transitional agreement announced last week were now uncertain whether to plant sugar cane which would yield after 1974. Mr Kirk said he felt New Zealand’s case should be driven home to civil servants and back-benchers. While Ministers were aware of the Situation, the lower ranks were not.

The Government pamphlet on New Zealand’s case had still not been translated and had not been circulated in Europe. “From my observations I would say that about three-

I quarters of the British public are opposed to British entry to the E.E.C.

“We must take our case more to the British people and then if the British Government felt the public was behind the New Zealand case they could bargain more readily with the market,” he said. CONTAINERS The New Zealand-United Kingdom Conference Lines’ decision to scrap the container plans was "almost predictable,” Mr Kirk said in Sydney on his way home. "Although there have been denials it is hard to separate the decisions from Britain’s application to join the Common Market,” he said. This was particularly so when it was realised that P and O had bought a coastal line in Britain to develop a large trade in containers to Europe.