Morocco Gets Europe Bloc’s Cold Shoulder

BRUSSELS — Morocco asked today to join the European Community, a move reflecting the North African country’s concern for its farm exports to the bloc, but was promptly turned down.

European foreign ministers said Morocco is ineligible.

They cited the community’s founding Treaty of Rome that allows only European states to become full members. The foreign ministers’ Danish leader told Moroccan Foreign Minister Abdellatif Filali that the Arab country does not qualify for membership in the 12-nation bloc.

The membership application came in a letter from King Hassan to Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen of Denmark and was presented by Filali at a meeting here today.

Diplomats said Hassan must have expected the negative response after being told that only European countries could join when he first extended informal feelers two years ago.

“In doing this, (Hassan) wanted to express the importance he attaches to relations with the (European Community) and a desire to receive specific treatment from the community,” an official said.

Tough Talks Ahead

Other officials said the application could be aimed at winning concessions for Rabat in tough talks on the terms of a new economic cooperation accord with the community.

The European Community is Morocco’s most important trading partner, taking over half its exports, and is a major source of development and food aid.

Morocco, like other Mediterranean countries, has virtually unlimited access to the European market for its industrial goods under an existing cooperation agreement.

But Rabat fears that its sales to the community of agricultural products such as citrus fruits and tomatoes will suffer as Spain and Portugal, which joined the bloc at the start of last year, gain an increasing foothold in those markets.