§ Lord Westburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council 16th and 17th July.
§ Lord Brabazon of TaraThe Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on 16th-17th July. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and my honourable friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs represented the United Kingdom. The council considered the necessary follow-up to the European Council in Dublin, including on preparations for the two intergovernmental conferences, and on development policy and social policy. The council also took note of the outcome of the Houston economic summit.
The council further reviewed the Community's relations with Central and Eastern Europe, including the G24 programme of Western assistance and the extension of the Community's PHARE programme to other Eastern European countries in addition to Poland and Hungary. The council endorsed the postponement of signature of the trade and economic and commercial co-operation agreement with Romania and the exclusion of Romania from the proposed extension of the PHARE programme. The council considered Commission proposals for additional assistance to Yugoslavia and remitted them for further study. The presidency also presented a proposal for a Mediterranean Financial Institution, which was similarly remitted for further study. The council agreed a negotiating mandate for a trade and economic co-operation agreement with Chile, and conclusions and guidelines for a common position of the Community and member states for the 2nd UN Conference on the Least Developed, to be held in Paris in September. The Commission presented proposals for the Community's response to Colombia's special plan to combat drugs, and referred them for further discussion.
On 17th July, the council discussed the current state of play in the GATT Uruguay round in the light of the outcome of the Houston Summit and in advance of the Trade Negotiations Committee in Geneva from 23 July.
A meeting of the EC/Malta Association Council took place in the margins of the council on 16th July. Separately, Ministers agreed informally to defer decisions on the referral of the Malta and Cyprus EC membership applications to the Commission until the September Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
There was also discussion on 16th July in European Political Cooperation of CSCE, Eastern Europe (including Albania), South Africa, Vietnam, Kenya and Middle East. Ministers agreed that a troika ministerial mission will meet separately the Israeli Foreign Minister and the Presidency of the Arab League on 23rd-24th July to follow up the Dublin Declaration on the Middle East.