"CONFIDENTIAL
remained firm since the devaluation earlier this year.
But France's basic economic difficulties remain and the
President will-have little domestic room for manoeuvre
during the Community's negotiations this autumn.
3. It is too early to decide on the British team at the
and
Summit. Community and Defence Security issues will
figure large on the agenda but much will depend on how
these topics are to be approached, on what other agenda
items emerge and on whom the President wishes to bring
with him. Apart from the Prime Minister and the Foreign
and Commonwealth Secretary, it would be usual to include
the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of
State for Trade and Industry, but the latter will be out
of the country during the second half of Ocotber The
Secretaries of State for Defence and Energy know they may
be needed as do the Ministers of Agriculture and of
Trade.
Hitherto the French have always been reluctant to
include Defence Ministers in the Summit.
4. The main areas for discussion are likely to be:
i) European Community. The autumn negotiations will be
in full swing. The main French objective will be to
cling to advantages won in previous bargaining and to
secure solutions for the future which are essentially
defensive. There is a growing feeling that the EC can no
longer be relied on to protect and promote French
interests automatically.
However, outwardly they will be
making a major effort to show themselves as worthy
custodians of the spirity of the Treaty.
They will