TNAG-0045-FCO40-81-Britain-s-entry-into-EEC-effect-on-trade-with-Hong-Kong-1967 — Page 39

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Draft of new nara. 10

The Foreign Secretary's Speech at W.Z.U. on ↳ July

When it became clear at the B.E.C. Council meeting

on 26 June that, because of French opposition, we should

not be given the chance of putting our case for membership

of the Community in Brussels before the Autumn, the suggestion

was made by the Belgian and German Foreign Ministers and

subsequently by the Italian and Dutch Government that we

should make our opening statement to the W.D.U. Ministerial

Meeting, under the general economic item which has formed

part of the agenda for W.E.U. Ministerial meetings since

1963. The statement which was made on this occasion is

the statement which would have been made to the Community

in Brussels had the opportunity been given. The statement

puts the case for British membership of the Communities;

sots out the points which the British Government hope to

see covered in negotiations; suggests the directions in

which a solution might be found; and calls for the speedy

opening of negotiations, and an equally frank and full

statement of the Six's position at the outset.

Paragraph 36 of the speech reads as follows:

We

"During the 1961-63 negotiations between the Community

and Britain it was provisionally agreed that, with one or

two exceptions, association under Part IV of the Treaty of

Rome would be appropriate for our dependent territories.

trust that you would still agree that for these territories

this is the best arrangement. We should discuss together

the position of any dependent territories for which associa-

tion is not appropriate."

The last sentence of this paragraph leaves the way open for

us to seek special arrangements for Hong Kong in the negotia- tions.

CO WIDEENTIAL,

་