Abroad

Brussels Getting Out Getting out of the European Economic Community is easier said than done, at least in the case of Greenland, that enormous island off the northeastern coast of North America, which has a human population of only fifty thousand but an immense fish population in its coastal waters. Greenland went into the EEC as part of Denmark. But it is now an independent country and no longer shares the Danish view of world economic advantages. However, other EEC members do not want to lose Greenland’s fish, and although the island voted to leave the community 16 months ago, negotiations to effect its withdrawal have been hard to start. West Germany, especially, says its deep-sea fishing fleet needs Greenland’s territorial waters, and that if Greenland withdraws, the new common-fisheries policy hammered out among EEC members, as well as the finely drawn system of quotas and catches now in operation, may have to be dismantled and rewritten. Since fishing rights have been one of the most serious causes of intra-community dissension—up to and including resort to force of arms—this threat is not lightly regarded by anyone, especially not Greenland’s prime minister, Jonathan Motzfeldt. The Danish foreign minister, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, finds himself in the middle. He says that other members are prepared to accord Greenland the power to withdraw as a democratic right, but they are not making it easy because of “economic considerations.” He is also aware that if Greenland leaves, this might be interpreted as a precedent by some more substantial community member, but he maintains that there could be no comparable case.

Havana Help from France Two teams of French transportation experts will soon arrive in Havana to help solve some of the Castro government’s traffic problems, according to an announcement following the recent visit here of French Transport Minister Charles Fiterman. The expense of the missions will be shared by the two countries. French technical assistance in developing the Cuban road system is also foreseen in the agreement, as well as a return visit by a high-ranking Cuban delegation to Paris to inspect the current state of French urban transportation.

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Brussels Getting Out Getting out of the European Economic Community is easier said than done, at least in the case of Greenland, that enormous island off the northeastern coast of North America, which has a human population of only fifty thousand but an immense fish population in its coastal waters. Greenland went into the EEC as part of Denmark. But it is now an independent country and no longer shares the Danish view of world economic advantages. However, other EEC members do not want to lose Greenland’s fish, and although the island voted to leave the community 16 months ago, negotiations to effect its withdrawal have been hard to start. West Germany, especially, says its deep-sea fishing fleet needs Greenland’s territorial waters, and that if Greenland withdraws, the new common-fisheries policy hammered out among EEC members, as well as the finely drawn system of quotas and catches now in operation, may have to be dismantled and rewritten. Since fishing rights have been one of the most serious causes of intra-community dissension—up to and including resort to force of arms—this threat is not lightly regarded by anyone, especially not Greenland’s prime minister, Jonathan Motzfeldt. The Danish foreign minister, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, finds himself in the middle. He says that other members are prepared to accord Greenland the power to withdraw as a democratic right, but they are not making it easy because of “economic considerations.” He is also aware that if Greenland leaves, this might be interpreted as a precedent by some more substantial community member, but he maintains that there could be no comparable case.

Havana Help from France Two teams of French transportation experts will soon arrive in Havana to help solve some of the Castro government’s traffic problems, according to an announcement following the recent visit here of French Transport Minister Charles Fiterman. The expense of the missions will be shared by the two countries. French technical assistance in developing the Cuban road system is also foreseen in the agreement, as well as a return visit by a high-ranking Cuban delegation to Paris to inspect the current state of French urban transportation.