§ Mr. Jacques ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council on 10 April.
§ Mr. David Davis"A" items listed in document 6418/95, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, were adopted with the exception of item 13 and item 22.
The Commission reported on the state of play in negotiations on the EU-Tunisia agreement. The Committee of Permanent Representatives was mandated to find a solution to outstanding points at its meeting on 12 April.
The Council adopted a declaration confirming the EU's willingness to help with the observation of Palestinian elections.
The Council report of functioning of the Maastricht treaty was adopted without further amendment.
The Commission secured the Council's agreement to continue negotiations with Canada over the EU-Canada fisheries dispute.
The Commission reported that it was studying details of the Mohovce power station in Slovakia following concerns raised by a number of member states.
The Council reviewed recent developments in the EU's relation with Mexico, Chile and Mercosur. The Commission will produce a negotiating mandate for a new agreement with Mexico and a paper discussing ways of strengthening relations with Chile. Commissioner Marin presented a negotiating mandate for a new agreement with Mercosur, which was referred to COREPER for further discussion.
The Commission presented draft negotiating directives on long term EU-South Africa relations.
The Council agreed on a need for an indefinite and unconditional extension of the non-proliferation treaty.
Mr. Juppe noted agreement to the draft joint action on anti-personnel mines which would be adopted by written procedure as soon as it had been finalised.
A meeting of EU and central European Foreign Ministers took place. Among the subjects discussed were the forthcoming White Paper on approximation of laws, and common foreign and security policy issues including Chechnya, former Yugoslavia, Nagorno-Karabakh, the Baltic states and the stability pact.
Øn Iran-Rushdie, the Council agreed the terms of a demarche to be made in Tehran on the basis of Political Committee opinion of 4 April.
On Ukraine, the Council discussed preparations for the joint EU-G7 mission to Kiev on nuclear safety on 13 April.
266WOn the Turkish incursion into Northern Iraq, the Council called for the withdrawal of all troops as soon as possible.
The Council reconfirmed its view that the European Parliament's 1993 resolution on a uniform electoral procedure is too general to satisfy the specific treaty requirement for proposals under article 138(3).
The first meetings of the association councils with the Czech Republic and Romania took place in the margins of the Council.
On former Yugoslavia, Mr. Koschnik, the EU administrator of Mostar, reported on latest developments there.
The Council took stock of developments in Chechnya and decided that further progress was required before it could agree to sign the EC-Russia interim agreement.
Preparations for the Euro-Mediteranean conference were discussed. The presidency noted that external expenditure priorities would be discussed at the European Council at Cannes in June.
On Burundi, agreement was reached on the need to continue diplomatic efforts, and to express support for the Organisation of African Unity ministerial mission.
The presidency reviewed progress on proposals for greater transparency in the Council. The dossier was remitted to COREPER for further work.
The presidency noted that no progress had been made in the negotiations on the size of EDFVIII.