The President of the Malagasy Republic, M. Philibert Tsiranana, on Thursday (April 22) opened the eleventh Session of the Common Market/African Associates Conference at a Ministerial level.

Attending the Conference are delegates from 18 African and Malagasy States and representatives from the six member nations of the European Economic Community (EEC).

In his opening speech, President Tsiranana said that some of the African states were disappointed with the EEC's decision to apply generalised preferences in the trade aid scheme to developing countries from July 1st. But, he added, he believed that the EEC would give its partners the compensation they were entitled to, because the system as it stood favoured "only the richest of the developing countries."
After the official opening, the Conference went into closed session, and observers have said that the EEC is expected to assure its African partners on the generalised preferences scheme. The same sources emphasising the importance of running efficient investment schemes from the European Development Fund in Africa and Madagascar.