TNAG-1422-FCO40-1905-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1986 — Page 191

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CONFIDENTIAL

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1. The Prime Minister, after words of welcome, said that in her discussion with the President they had agreed a joint

statement about the Channel Fixed Link. She proposed to

travel to France for the formal announcement of the project.

She and President Mitterrand would later meet again to sign a

Treaty. They had also discussed East West relations, though decided to make no prophesies about the Geneva Summit; and the approach to the Luxembourg European Council.

2.

At

President Mitterrand said that it was important to keep to

schedule on the Channel Fixed Link. As regards the Geneva

Summit, France expected adherence to the 1972 ABM Treaty. the Luxembourg Council it was important to avoid a repetition of the Milan deadlock. France did not require a maximalist

solution. While they might like more, they could accept less. Negotiations seemed to be moving in the right direction. it might be necessary to take things only as far as they could be taken at this time. A logical solution was needed for the

powers of the European Parliament. The internal market was a matter for negotiation; separate partners should not pick and

choose.

But

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

3. Sir Geoffrey Howe said he had thanked M. Dumas for the

French statement on the Anglo-Irish Agreement. As regards

East-West relations both Governments had received

communications from the US and Soviet Governments about

nuclear fusion. He understood that Gorbachev had also

mentioned this in Paris. The two governments favoured co-operation in principle, but they agreed on the need to keep in close touch and to take full account of other projects such as JET. As regards the nuclear deterrent their responses to the Soviet approach had been substantially the same: "no" to negotiations, "yes" to a general exchange of views on armaments. It was useful to underline publicly how much our

positions had in common.

CONFIDENTIAL