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Visit StoreMay
03
1985
May 03, 1985
The Summit really begins. Let me interject that in all our motoring the streets are lined with people clapping, waving, cheering—all I’m sure to let me know they dont agree with the continuing press sniping about the upcoming visit to Bitberg. This continued throughout our entire stay in Germany.
The meeting was going pretty well with consensus on most of the points that would wind up in the final statement. Then we came to the matter of an early ’86 round of trade talks. Pres. Mitterrand expressed his own opposition to protectionism but absolutely refused to agree to an ’86 meeting or re-opening of trade talks to further reduce or eliminate protectionist measures that presently exist. We’re all guilty of some. His big hang up is the fact that France subsidizes it’s agric. so they can compete in export trade at lower than world mkt. prices. Couple that with his upcoming election in ’86 & you have the story.
We tried everything, wrote & re-wrote the clause. The debate grew heated and then they took on the United States as being an interloper in European affairs etc. The battle went on way past lunch hour. We finally settled for wording that bluntly said most of us felt there should be such a meeting & our ministers would meet in July to lay plans. Lunch came at about 2:30.
Our dinner that night was heads of state only. Instead of business we got into story telling. Brian Mulroney (Canada) started it and I got on with some & a good time was had by all—(all except Mitterrand).