Word: mitterrand
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...German capital with the leaders of six other major industrial powers were always polite and often were even marked by effusive mutual compliments; no one wanted to add a public squabble about economics to the uproar over Bitburg. But there was no disguising the fact that French President Francois Mitterrand blocked Reagan from getting what he most wanted from the summit, the eleventh in a series devoted primarily to economic affairs. Said Mitterrand defiantly: "I am proud to be somewhat alone in Bonn." Reagan was described by a close aide as "disappointed...
Chancellor Helmut Kohl of West Germany, the summit host, and Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher of Britain, Brian Mulroney of Canada, Bettino Craxi of Italy and Yasuhiro Nakasone of Japan were willing to accommodate Reagan. But Mitterrand, who appeared to relish playing France's traditional role of odd man out at economic summits, adamantly refused to set an early--or any--date for trade negotiations. He voiced varied objections: that the talks had to be carefully prepared; that they ought to be linked to a monetary-reform conference, about which the U.S. is dubious; most of all, that trade talks might...
Shortly before the last formal summit session on Saturday morning, Kohl brought Reagan and Mitterrand together for an unscheduled private talk. The U.S. President could not budge his French colleague, and the final summit communique noted only that "most" participants wanted trade talks in early 1986. In context, that bland wording was an unprecedented admission of lack of unanimity. Mitterrand then appeared at a press conference to proclaim, "I have my responsibilities toward France, toward French farm producers and toward Europe. I am defending a just cause...
...French holdout left in doubt not only the date but the form and scope of any world-trade negotiations. It is still possible that a conference involving the 90 nations belonging to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade will be called; Mitterrand agreed that France would participate in planning for one, but laid down a string of conditions that France's partners would find difficult to meet. U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz stated U.S. eagerness to talk trade liberalization with any groups of nations, or even individual countries, that are willing to deal if a GATT conference could...
...carpets and - the screws for the spaceships." Kohl gave SDI a personal endorsement; though the British government is known to be worried about the strategic implications of SDI, Thatcher indicated a desire to share in the research effort. Said she: "Our inventiveness is excellent." The dissenter was (who else?) Mitterrand. He refused to have anything to do with SDI research...