§ 38. Mr. Andrew WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Foreign Ministers of the European Community on the collective response of the Community towards the democratic aspirations of the peoples of the Baltic states.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesMy right hon. Friend discussed the situation in the Soviet Union at the 4 March Foreign Affairs Council. Community Foreign Ministers called for an early opening of a serious and constructive dialogue between the elected Baltic authorities and the central Government of the Soviet Union. The violence in Latvia and Lithuania in January caused the EC to suspend consideration of technical assistance to the USSR. The Council asked that preparations be resumed. The necessary decisions on the Commission proposal will be taken if the political and economic conditions allow.