The signing of the trade agreement between Israel and the European Economic Community, which provides tariff concessions for a number of Israel’s exports to the six-nation European Common Market, took place today in the Palace of Congress, the home of the EEC Council of Ministers.
Henry Fayat, president of the Council, the key policy-making body of the EEC, and Dr. Walter Hallstein, president of the EEC executive committee, signed for the Community. Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Akiva Govrin, Minister for External Trade, and Ambassador Amiel Najar, head of the Israeli Mission to the EEC, signed for Israel. The EEC officials made brief statements on behalf of the Council of Ministers and Mrs. Meir responded for Israel.
M. Fayat expressed “deep satisfaction” that the EEC had reached a trade agreement with Israel. He said the agreement “illustrates once more the liberal nature of the commercial policy which the Community intends to follow toward the outside world and its firm intention to make the greatest possible contribution to the efforts which many countries are making for their own economic expansion.”
“The Community is fully convinced it is essential to search for every possible means of developing trade and that the conclusion of trade agreements like the one we have just signed doubtless constitutes one of the means,” he added. He expressed “the most sincere wishes for the happy future” of Israel of the Council of Ministers.
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