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GV Mrs Simone Veil being greeted by Dr. Ribeiro de Almeida and they walk up stairs.
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SV Mrs Veil speaking in French.
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Background: INTRODUCTION: The President of the European Parliament Simone Veil arrived in Lisbon on Sunday (17 May) for a four-day visit to support Portugal's application to join the European Economic Community (EEC). Her visit coincided with a meeting of European Foreign Ministers in Brussels on Monday (18 May) to work out the details of Portugal's conditions for joining the community. So far they have been unable to agree on many important points, in particular on the question of EEC textile imports from Portugal and car exports to Portugal.

SYNOPSIS: Simone Veil was welcomed at the airport by the Speaker of the Portuguese Parliament, Dr. Ribeiro de Almeida. She said in an statement on her arrival that the Assembly she heads would stand by Portugal and Spain in their negotiations to join the EEC. She added that many EEC members tended to be isolationists, but that the European Parliament was there to remind the community of the need to bring in Spain and Portugal order to guarantee the freedoms these two countries have recently regained.

Mrs Veil went on to say that there was general consensus on all sides that Portugal should join the community. It was merely a question of settling the terms under which it would do so. Two of the sticking points in the negotiations have been the question of EEC textile imports from Portugal, and the export of cars to Portugal. The delay in the negotiations has irritated both Spain and Portugal which have voiced concern at the slow rate of progress.