TNAG-1420-FCO40-1903-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 124

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Turkey in the discussions.

Mr Hare outlined some potential

advantages for firms from participating in EUREKA projects

(privileged access to Government procurement tenders, a possible Eurotype product label, intergovernmental problem-solving etc).

Project selection and the precise advantage of a EUREKA label both

remained to be settled. Mr Brunner said that the concept of EUREKA

made political sense as an example of variable geometry in Europe.

The reaction to EUREKA in Eastern Europe was varied. In Prague,

Johannes had criticised Swiss participation in EUREKA as tantamount

to a breach of neutrality. In Budapest, the Foreign Minister and

Kadar had asked how Hungary could cooperate with EUREKA. The Swiss

had been asked to keep the Yugoslavs informed on developments.

Yugoslavs were in an odd position: unable to cooperate on high

technology with the US, Japan or the Soviet Union.

The

SDI

14. Mr Brunner said that the Swiss Government had no formal

position on SDI. Nobody had asked the Swiss to participate. If the

US asked Swiss companies to work on SDI related contracts, the Swiss

Government would not object.

Lunch

South Africa

15. Mr Brunner indicated that the majority (85%) of the Swiss

people sympathised with the South African Government for a variety of reasons. They would regard the imposition of economic sanctions

as hypocritical and inconsistent, as well as counter-productive in

terms of encouraging peaceful change. There was no question of

Switzerland breaking her tradition of never participating in

international economic sanctions. The PUS expressed broad agreement

with these views, referring to the real changes which had started to

take place in South Africa and the various areas in which the United Kingdom already operated an embargo against South Africa.

16. Mr Brunner went on to complain of the speed with which the

United States had abandoned the policy of constructive engagement,

and of the American failure to provide leadership for her allies.

He agreed with the PUS's assertion that Western governments should

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