Israelis Stress Advantages to Europe by Admitting Israel to Euromart

Ambassador Amiel Najar, Israel’s envoy to the European Economic Community, who is heading Israel’s delegation to a meeting of the Euromart Commission currently considering Israel’s application for associate membership in the EEC, told the Commission’s closing meeting on the issue today that admission of Israel to EEC associate membership would benefit not only Israel but all of Europe.

Summarizing two days of testimony by himself and other leading Israeli experts, Mr. Najar declared: “Israel is offering the EEC a fair deal through which the advantages to Europe would be far from negligible. By providing Israel with the assured markets which it needs so badly, Europe will be able to increase its exports to Israel in all fields — industrial, agricultural and in the field of capital goods.”

David Golan, director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, similarly declared that “Israel’s association with the EEC will be beneficial to the EEC as well as to Israel.” Under EEC associate membership, he declared, Israel will be able to double its imports from the six states that are members of the Euromart — France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Imports from those countries, he said, would rise by 100 percent from the 1966 total of $200, 000, 000.

Ariel Amiad, director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture, addressing the Commission this morning, said that Israel’s agriculture is complementary to Europe’s, and not competitive. “Europe,” he stated, “is not only the main market for our agricultural products, but our sole market in that field.”

Robert Toulemon, director of the EEC’s association and adhesion section, heading the Euromart’s delegation to the Commission’s meeting, assured the Israelis openly that the Commission “desires a sincere dialogue” on Israel’s associate membership bid. “The participation of the Community,” he stated, “will be as positive as possible.”