aid for Third World
A three-man delegation representing European Justice and Peace Commissions recently met Mr. F. X. ()rush, President of the European Commission, to ask for greater E.E.C. help in tackling problems of the Third World, particularly the threat of famine in the Sahelian zone of Africa.
The delegation marks a development in Catholic cooperation at European level. The Justice and Peace Commissions have reached agreement before politicians have settled their differences.
In papers presented to Mr. Ortoli, who spent more than one hour with the delegates, the Commissions called on the E.E.C. to grant "special relationship" status to the whole of the Third World, to increase the special development fund and to channel more aid to rural sectors, where there is the greatest poverty. A reshaping of European relations with the Third World was also requested so that both become partners rather than donors and recipients.
On sugar, the Commissions recommended the Community to continue to import, at a fair price, the 1.4 million tons of cane sugar which Britain at present imports from Commonwealth countries. Further proposals were a restriction on future beet sugar production — a new International Sugar Agreement and a study of the sugar market to discover whether or not there will be a continuing shortage.
Mr. Alfred Latham-Koenig from the Justice and Peace Commission of England and Wales was a member of the delegation, which is seen in Britain as a valuable contribution to the Europe '73 campaign. The campaign is an attempt to stimulate greater European involvement with the problems of the Third World.