The second round of talks between Israeli and European Economic Community negotiators will end this week without any satisfaction of Israel’s requests for preferential treatment for its substantial export sales to the six nations of the European Common Market, observers here predicted today.
The talks, following the flat statement by the chief EEC negotiator. Dr. Gunther Seliger, that Israel would not be offered an association with Euromart, continued during the weekend on the basis of further probing by the Israeli delegates of the proposals submitted by the EEC negotiators. These were based on some customs concessions for a limited list of Israeli exports–bathing suits, grapefruit and fertilizers. The Israeli negotiators were understood to be giving intensive study to the narrow and limited EEC proposals to avoid any reaction from the EEC commission that Israel had not fully considered the proposals.
Dr. Seliger stressed again that the proposals were not final and that if Israel requested liberalization of scheduled higher imports planned by the European market, the EEC would consider them “thoroughly and immediately.” He also reiterated that while the EEC commission offers were admittedly meager, Israel should take into account the goodwill shown by the EEC which he said was of no lesser importance than the commercial benefits.
He also said again that Israel’s hopes for a more permanent agreement were impracticable “under present circumstances” and that the EEC commissions proposals for a limited commercial agreement was the “only solution” possible at the present time.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
