asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will urge the authorities in the USSR to make a pledge in connection with the proposed new International Wheat Trade Agreement and Food Aid Convention to aid people in developing countries.
Written Answers . - USSR Aid to Developing Countries .
204.
: As the Deputy may know, there is no aid aspect to the Wheat Trade Convention. All parties to that convention, including the USSR, are eligible to accede to the Food Aid Convention. However, the USSR has not done so. In general, parties to the Food Aid Convention are cereal-exporting countries, whereas the USSR has been a net importer of cereals in recent years. In the circumstances, therefore, I do not feel it would be appropriate for me to take the action proposed by the Deputy in relation to this particular matter.
On a more general level, however, I can assure the Deputy that in various international fora, the member states of the Community, together with other OECD countries, have frequently urged the countries of Eastern Europe to take a more active part in aiding the countries of the developing world.