The Foreign Ministers of the Community member states met in the General Affairs Council on 5 February last—the first meeting of the General Affairs Council under the current Irish Presidency. For a full list of the items discussed and an account of the outcome, I would refer the Deputy to the press release containing the conclusions of the Council which was issued by the Council Secretariat and which has been deposited in the Oireachtas Library.
The principal items considered were as follows: We had an exchange of views on the preparation of the Bonn Economic Conference which commences on 19 March. Our officials were instructed to prepare guidelines for Community action at the conference. Ireland regards the meeting, which is part of the CSCE process, as particularly important for the development of economic links with Eastern Europe.