CONFIDENTIAL
Counter terrorist cooperation
17.
Mr Ratford hoped that close cooperation could be maintained
It was vital that no deals should over the hostages in the Lebanon.
be done with terrorists. M Plaisant said that the French line was basically the same. There should be no yielding to blackmail.
Bilateral cooperation on counter-terrorism was valuable. noted the value of multilateral cooperation as well.
Mr Ratford
Teacher exchanges
18. M Plaisant said that the figures for teacher exchanges were now
satisfactory.
Rating of cultural premises
19. M Plaisant siad that the problem of rates on cultural institutes' premises must one day be solved by an effort of
imagination. Mr Ratford asked that the French side reconsider the proposals made by the British side in October 1983 or reconsider the possibility of the French establishments acquiring charitable status. M Boissy said that the problem would remain of what happened if rates were augmented. Perhaps the British Government would solve the problem by reforming the rates system nationally.
CSCE
20. Mr Ratford thought that the CSCE Conference was not going too badly. M Plaisant said that this judgement was fair if one started with very limited expectations. Mr Ratford said that CSCE would be one of the preoccupations of the UK Presidency.
The West should not
engage in self-censorship: the temperature should be kept down but pressure should be maintained on the Russians. Both principles and people individuals and groups were at stake. A practical
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outcome was needed.
CONFIDENTIAL
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