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position very clear this year at Bonn.
13. Mr Derek Thomas said that there was great value in a forum where other Western countries could influence US thinking and help those in Washington arguing for moderation.
M. Dumas agreed but said
this need not be for the Seven it could be done by the Ten represented by the Troika or in more restricted groupings.
Military Aircraft Collaboration
14. M. Dumas said he had discussed President Mitterrand's proposals with Mr Heseltine in Rome. He had found him rather unenthusiastic. The Prime Minister's reply to President Mitterrand, received that morning, was however fairly encouraging. The French saw value in discussion of the whole range of military aircraft production rather than individual projects. Participation in projects should not be restricted to those who had a direct need for the product France's offer of participation in the European Fighter Aircraft was an example of this.
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15. The Secretary of State said he thought Mr Heseltine's position had been entirely consistent with the Prime Minister's. The UK wanted the widest possible European overview of the arms and aircraft industries. Mr Heseltine had devoted himself to the development of the IEPG. The value of exchanges of information between Ministers, industrialists and senior members of the armed forces on specific industrial projects should not be underestimated. But the Prime Minister considered President Mitterrand's proposals helpful our only anxiety was that arrangements for the EFA programme should not be put into question.
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the Turin
16. M. Dumas said there was no question of this agreement should stand. The French saw the EFA project as a first step towards a European programme. They would be sending a delegation to the UK to explain their proposals. The IEPG could be a valuable forum, and they had no wish to create new groups. They agreed that the IEPG was being made to work better and wanted to broaden its scope.
CONFIDENTIAL
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