RUMANIA'S INDEPENDENT STAND AT THE UN CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DE

Created: 4/1/1964

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

LBJ LIBRARY Mandatory Review

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RUMANIA'S INDEPENDENT STAND AT THE UN CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

At the beginning of the current UN Conference on Trade and(UNCTAD) in Geneva, Rumania hasarkedly independent stand, again asserting its intention to promote its national interests even if they diverge from Soviet aims. tatement to the conferencepril, the chief Rumanian delegate refrained from echoing major Soviet-backed policy positions and emphasized Rumania's roleeveloping country and its identity of economic interests with other such countries.

In recent years, Rumania's economic interests and nationalhave increasinglyore independent andwithin the Soviet Bloc. Rumania has been fearful lestplansore fully integrated Bloc inhibit its ownwhich has been unusually rapid in recent years. It isthat the authority to plan its own economic development in allis one of the "fundamental, essential and inalienable"national sovereignty. Moreover, Rumania has asserted that aeconomic development among Bloc countries through the forced broad- industrialization of its lesser developed members, must be afor the worldwide construction of

at UNCTAD

The statement to the conferencepril of Coguchief delegate to the conference,as as notable foromitted as it was for what is said. Radulescu quicklywith other developing countries by affirming its supportto stabilize world prices of raw materials and improveof trade; by proposing the creationund for industrialunder thc'UN; by stressing the need to equalize the level ofdevelopment of all countries; and by urging that industrialextend credits to manufacturing enterprises in developingaccept repayment in commodities produced by the aidedreiterated Rumania's policy of diversifiedhe maintained had successfully removed it as "one of thefor raw materials and agricultural products of the

trializednd asserted that all economic relations must be based on "national sovereignty, economic independence, equality in

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instrument of control over the economic policies of Communistoreover, according to oneinor "scandal" was created within the Bloc delegations when Rumania suggested grouping the nations at the conference "according to their level of economicirrespective of their social orders or trade system" and, in concert with Cuba, Albania, Israel, Australia, and Greece, asked to be associated with theess developed countries. Zl

Equally significant was the absence of any reference in Radulescu's speech to the USSR, CEMA, or the Communist camp. Moreover, in sharp contrast to other Soviet BLoc presentations, the statement by Radulescu did not inveigh against alleged Western-imposed restrictions on East-West trade; did not expressly indorse the Principles of Trade Relations and Trade Policy submitted by the USSR, Poland, andand virtually ignored the Soviet-sponsored proposalew international trade organization, vaguely suggesting instead the creation of "appropriate international machinery."

*ossible effort to win added support for their views in CEMA, the Rumanians, in their policy statement onpril, proposed theof all Communist countries in the organizationven Communist China and the participation of non-Communist less developed countries that are proceeding onath of noncapitalist development. " Such new membership in CEMA would increase the number of less developed countries whose interests presumably would parallel those of Rumania.

Even though other Communist delegates had anticipated that Rumania would pursue an independent line at the conference, the extent of its divergence from the policy positions of other Communist states reportedly evoked considerable consternation in Bloc circles, prompting the leader of the Czechoslovak delegation to exclaim, "Radulescu must be out of his mind, "ember of the permanent Rumania delegation in Geneva, when queried about the nonconformist character of Radulescu's speech,replied: "What did you find extraordinary in the speech? Weree country. We have some good ideas, and we presented them. We don't have to mention the USSR every time we speak. And ass you know, we have our own economic needs and areommon plan for/

Original document.

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