West OKs New Aid to Poland and Romania

Foreign ministers from the 12 European Community nations have agreed to send about $70 million in emergency food and medical aid to Romania and Poland, officials here said Sunday.

After the four-hour meeting Saturday night in Dublin Castle, the foreign ministers said they will send shipments of beef, butter, olive oil, grain and medical supplies to Romania and food products to Poland.

The final details of the aid packages will be worked out later this week, the officials said.

West Europe already has sent some medical supplies and other emergency aid to Romania as well as food packages to Poland over the last year.

But the more sensitive issue of how much long-term help the community will give to the six emerging democracies of Eastern Europe has yet to be tackled.

The 12 foreign ministers also sent a signal of support to Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev by specifically endorsing his proposal for a 35-nation East-West summit this year to chart the future of a radically altered Europe.

Conference sources said such a summit had been suggested by Gorbachev and might take place later this year.

The action came despite the crackdown by Soviet troops in Azerbaijan.

“We have complete understanding for the enormous dilemmas (facing Gorbachev),” Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van den Broek told reporters after the Saturday meeting. “We just hope that the military intervention is in proportion to the problem.”

The thorny question of whether East Germany should be admitted to the European Community was left undecided.

Irish Foreign Minister Gerry Collins, who chaired the meeting, has said the community will move slowly on the issue. “The community will have to wait for democratic elections before making any decision,” he said.

The foreign ministers’ meeting came after commission President Jacques Delors called last week for fundamental institutional reform in the European group.