Word: haig
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...Instead, he flew to Washington and, despite his weariness, was at his desk at 8:15 on Wednesday morning. Shortly before 10, he went to the White House and for 50 minutes briefed Reagan on the state of the negotiations. After more telephone calls with Costa Mendez and Thatcher, Haig gamely announced that he would try again. From the tone of his statements, however, it was clear that he was as impatient with Britain's intransigence as he was with Argentina's. "The leaders of both countries have assured me... that they are prepared to go on working...
...marathon shuttle began the week amid hopes of a breakthrough. Argentina had removed its fleet from the blockade zone, and long sessions with Argentine President Leopoldo Fortunate Galtieri and Foreign Minister Costa Mendez had convinced the Secretary of State that the Argentine government was ready to show some flexibility. Haig departed Buenos Aires on Easter Sunday with what he called "some specific fresh ideas." The next day, after an 18-hour flight, he landed in London, where he met with Thatcher, Foreign Secretary Francis Pym and Defense Secretary John Nott. Optimism over the "fresh ideas" quickly vanished, however...
...that point, around midnight London time, Haig and Costa Mendez spoke by telephone, and the situation worsened. Argentina, Costa Mendez insisted, would withdraw its troops only if Britain agreed to 1) recall the task force; 2) end the blockade; 3) restore normal economic relations; and 4) leave the Argentine flag flying in the Falklands as a sign of Argentine sovereignty. The new conditions represented a major departure from the terms Haig had brought to London. When he reported them to Thatcher, the tired Prime Minister was furious...
Then, as tempers apparently cooled in Buenos Aires, Haig and Costa Mendez spoke again. Costa Mendez's new proposals remained secret, but, as one British spokesman put it, "they [the Argentines] rowed back a bit. The message Secretary Haig received wasn't as awful as the midnight proposals." The new proposals were sufficiently less awful for Pym to visit Haig at his suite in London's Churchill Hotel for a 90-minute chat. As he left the hotel, Pym told reporters that the "new ideas" advanced by Costa Mendez "may provide a way forward." Though he warned...
...talks resumed in Argentina on Friday, Costa Mendez expected Haig to "bend his arm-or maybe break it," according to one senior Argentine diplomat. Haig never lost his temper, but the five hours with Costa Mendez were the toughest of the entire shuttle. "I want to know the limit, limit, limit of the Argentine position," Haig insisted. Costa Mendez did not budge. Though he offered the British sovereignty over South Georgia, he stressed that "we can never go back to April 1 [the day before the invasion]." On Saturday Haig postponed his departure in order to meet again with...