asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will outline their views and proposals before the renewal of the Yaoundé Convention proposed for 1975.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Yaoundé Convention.
44.
Negotiations under Protocol 22 of the Accession Treaty concerning relations between the Community on the one hand and the Associated African and Malagasy States and the independent developing Commonwealth countries in Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Carribean on the other were inaugurated by a conference in Brussels on 25th and 26th July, 1973. The conference agreed that detailed negotiations between the Community and the associate and associable states would begin in October, 1973, after a suitable mandate had been approved by the Council of Ministers. The mandate was adopted by the council at its meeting in Luxembourg on 15th October and the negotiations opened on 17th October. Because of uncertainty as to the wishes of the negotiating partners certain parts of the mandate were left incomplete, the details to be decided in the light of the attitude of the negotiating partners as revealed in the course of the negotiations.
It would be premature to anticipate the likely results of the present stage, which has only just begun, of these negotiations. As soon as this stage has been completed the commission will report back to the council. The Government will then have the opportunity of considering the progress that has been made and of making such proposals as may seem necessary at the time.