§ Sir Peter BlakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in theOfficial Report a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council on 15 April.
§ Mr. HurdA meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council took place in Luxembourg on 15 April. My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs represented the United Kingdom.
The Council reviewed the progress of the EC/EFTA negotiations on a European economic area, which will extend the internal market to the EFTA countries. The Council instructed the Committee of Permanent Representatives to continue work on the detailed issues and agreed to propose to EFTA a joint EC/EFTA ministerial meeting on 13 May.
The Commission briefed the Council about the negotiations for association agreements between the European Community and Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The Council declared its readiness to adopt a flexible approach in the negotiations, particularly on trade access, with a view to concluding them as soon as possible.
The Council discussed a draft EC/Japan declaration and agreed that further work was necessary before the draft could be passed to the Japanese. It also considered 232W which countries should participate in the European energy charter and agreed to re-examine the issue on 15 May.
At the request of the United Kingdom, Ministers discussed a package of aid from the Community and member states to help those suffering famine in Africa. They agreed on the need for emergency aid and asked the Commission to make proposals urgently.
Ministers also discussed disbursement of the 150 mecu humanitarian assistance for Iraqi refugees agreed at the Special European Council of 8 April. They invited the President of the Council to discuss with the United Nations Secretary-General how Saddam Hussein could be held to account for his actions.