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countries and to accept that any change in the borders could only be carried out by peaceful means. Britain was governed in its policy towards Germany's borders by the rights and obligations of the Four Power Agreement. There could be no change in Germany's borders without a peace treaty. It would not be in the interests of either East or West to try to negotiate a treaty at the present time. If democracy could be established in Eastern Europe, and ultimately in the Soviet
nion, this would in due course open up a vista of new
ssibilities. These perceptions were fully shared by the
ted States Administration. But recent remarks by the United States Defense Secretary, Mr Dick Cheney, had not been helpful.
ding to some reports, he had spoken about possible reactions of 5 per cent in defence expenditure over the period 1994 1994, on the grounds that the threat from the Warsaw Pact had diminished. It would have been much better if he had confined himself to stating that cuts might be necessary for the true reason, which was the size of the budget deficit.
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THE PRIME MINISTE said that she had attended a dinner given for the European Comm (EC) Heads of Government by the French
Nitterrand, in Paris on 18 November. President Mitterrand opened the discussion by posing a number of questions,ticular whether EC governments should raise the issue of Europe borders and whether more assistance should be given to Poland Hungary. Chancellor Kohl of West Germany, who spoke for 40 minutes, had emphasised that West Germany was a loyal member the EC and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), of Chancellor Kohl's intervention ad been concerned with events in East Germany, he had made clear that West Germany attached just as much importance to developments in Poland and Hungary. The Spanish President, Senor Felipe Gonzalez, had spoken in similar terms, arguing that more he should be given to Poland and Hungary.
In her intervention, he had sought to answer the questions posed by President Mitterrand. It would not be right for EC governments to raise the question of European borders, which must remain off the agenda. The North Alantic Treaty Organisation and the Warsaw Pact should be maistained. The single most important objective for the West was to see the establishment of democratic governments and societies in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Raising the question of borders would undermine the President Gorbachev's position and thus endanger the prospects for democracy in Eastern Ebe President Mitterrand had agreed, and others had subsequently also added their voices against raising the border issue It had been noted that the economic situation in both Poland and Hungary was becoming increasingly difficult.
there had been general agreement that every effort must
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