1.
GV: EEC Headquarters
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2.
SV INTERIOR: Cape Verde Prime Minister Major Pedro Pires, (left) seated talking to EEC President Roy Jenkins.
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3.
CU: Major Pires ZOOM OUT TO him talking to Mr. Jenkins.
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4.
CU: Mr. Jenkins ZOOM OUT TO him talking to Pires.
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5.
CU: EEC Commissioner Claude Cheysson and Major Pires holding separate talks (both standing talking)
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In 1977 Belgium gave the islands some 3,000 tonnes of grain as food aid, and plans to provide around 3,500 tonnes during 1978.




Initials RH/1718



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Major Pedro Pires, the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, was in Brussels on Thursday (6 April) for talks with the European Common Market's (EEC) Executive Commission. The talks centred on the Lome Convention, which links developing countries with the EEC.

SYNOPSIS: The talks were held at the EEC's headquarters, and Major Pires's first call was on EEC President Roy Jenkins. Cape Verde acceded to the Lome Convention in March 1977, and receives EEC aid totalling more than 5,2000,000 dollars. In recent years, Cape Verde has suffered considerably from drought, and much of the aid goes towards irrigation projects, and agricultural development programme. Specialist training is another priority for Cape verde, which has a population of just under one third of a million.

Major Pires also met Commissioner claude Cheysson of France, who is responsible for development aid. On the first day of his visit to Belgium Major Pires had talks with belgium's Overseas Development Ministers, Lucien Outers. They discussed Belgium's participation in re-afforestation project in the Cape Verde islands of Maro and Santiago.