Sapir Urges Eec Officials to Include Israel Among Nations Benefiting from Generalized Trade Preferen

Israeli Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir was here for a two-day visit last week during which he discussed with a number of Foreign Ministers and members of the European Economic Community Commission the possible consequences for Israel of the community’s forthcoming enlargement. Before leaving, Sapir expressed hope “that practical and immediate solutions will be found to Israel’s problems.”

According to informed Israeli circles here, Sapir reaffirmed throughout these meetings Israel’s position that as a developing country dependent on foreign trade, it desires to be included with the shortest possible delay in the list of countries benefiting from generalized trade preferences. A large part of Israel’s exports go to Britain, which together with Ireland, Denmark and Norway is due to join the EEC next Jan. 1.

The Israeli minister, according to the sources, told Belgian Foreign Minister Pierre Harmel, Dutch Foreign Minister W.K.N. Schmelzer, Belgian Economics Affairs Minister Henri Simonet and two members of the EEC Commission, Henri Dahrendorf and J.F. Denieu, that Israel’s trade position would become “very difficult” unless solutions are found before that date.

Sapir mentioned three products as being particularly jeopardized: citrus fruit, citrus-based industrial extracts and certain industrial products not covered by the Israeli-EEC preferential agreement, Sapir also reminded the EEC officials and the ministers concerned that oil-rich Libya and Kuwait are among the 77 “underdeveloped” countries enjoying special benefits. He said those two Arab states have far higher national revenues than Israel and that another beneficiary. Yugoslavia, is far more industrialized. Israel was barred from the list of developing countries after France vetoed its inclusion.