23-FEB-1993 09:40 22-FEB-1993 18:22
FCO NEWS DEPT Gallagher
071 270 3734 KASI 2730JO
P.03
7.04
TRANSCRIPT A- MR O'DONNELL/MR CORNI SH/MR PELLEW -
CORNISH/MR BACKGROUND BRIEFING 22 FEBRUARY 1993
3
In terms of objectives for the trip. Obviously first and foremost it is all about personal relationships. This is the first meeting
face to face with the new President, they have spoken on the phone a number of times already, they have passed messages to each other both officially and through the usual network of Stephen Wall
talking to Tony Lake. So there is a question of building on that
personal relationship.
Secondly, the Prime Minister will be very anxious to talk about
GATT. We were very pleased with the State of the Union address
in that it marked an extension to the fast track procedure, we
will be keen to know how long that extension is, particularly we
would not favour a very long extension, we want to get on with
things, and the Prime Minister will be reminding the President how
important GATT is not just to the developed world but to the
developing world as well, I think that is a key theme which we
will be hammering home.
Trade will come up in various means, it will come up in the global
sense of the GATT Round, it will come up in the EC/US context, the
Prime Minister had breakfast this morning with Sir Leon Britton to
go over with Leon Britton his talks with Nicky Cantour and to find
out what the American Administration's views about the various
disputes that are pending. Some of these are well known, like
steel, there are some other bilateral issues. One of the ones we
are worried about is so-called sports utility vehicles which is
something where there were worries about the export prospects for