Economic Summit 11-)82. The Prime,4inister has seen your letter Of 3 December to Ilichael Alexander and Sir Robert Armstrong's minute of 4 December.

Transcription

1 VLB RESTRICTED 7 December 1981 Economic 11-)82 The Prime,4inister has seen your letter Of 3 December to Ilichael Alexander and Sir Robert Armstrong's minute of 4 December. The Prime Minister has ap)roved the text pf the letter to President Mitterrand, which has bees dispatched today. 2ne agrees Sir Robert Armstrong should have authority, at the discussion hetween personal representatives on 12/13 December, provisionally to accept the dates of 7 and 8 June as a basis for planning, on the understanding we snould have to re-open the question if, contrary to present expectations, 8 June again became a possibility for a State Visit. sending a copy of this letter to David Wright I ari-1 (Cabinet Office). A J R. h J. Lyne, COLES Esq., Foreign and Commonwealth Office. RESTRICTED

2 10 D G STREET -14,ICCi : - A Ca) As, 4 (Pr ktourt Z.. it wrt..) a.. 9 At_ rar- :".". Ir...CC wit , -friatchi A 4,111:14Ab.A.4 eft, IPA" ta.a., 3.

3 3- )0 ut) 11.1r ) it-,44...a-tr#1., (s. itta. it It 14 4,12-,r`Slak tr rr "ji tc - 6")

4 Ref. A06217 MR. ALEXANDER Economic I have seen Mr. Lyne's letter 1982 of 3rd December. I do not know the considerations President 1982, in proposing or why they European are going Council. inexperience In particular, by the French. representation months year, and the Danes always been the Belgians in the second before Council, to avoid inviting Economic be easier : I also agreed. I know When they they told me have checked is wishful were thinking: to his other Mr. on Lyne's President so far accepted to the Minister, day. That makes clear, Reagan should visit them, may Minister not to have very six calculate of Belgium, to the to do. keen to get the dates of the European Council still and what he tells said the dates We in the first last week, outstanding. me suggests are and he is presumably French because of the probability possibility letter the Economic has for not ruled looking out, at them in plans. said for the Prime beginning colleague, s of the European was the only agreement the President travel meeting are is the of the European The French for the meeting with my American We have difficult here in the Presidency. the Prime keen of devious year's in the Presidency the June are some in of the is the result to fix Economic was in the Elysee our agreement but he has not yet finally relation they know the team able six months. next meeting of Ministers participants if they hold the Economic it will the June about of the French Economic or represents of the Council European with in the minds for the precede in the Elysee, Until now we have do next which One of the problems when one of the four cannot been I do not know whether of the Presidency Community. have of 7th and 8th June for dates in the new team calculation dates the dates begins we are London 8th June proposing next on 7th and 8th June, -1- year. to look would more be likely of a State remote. to the White If he accepts it is presumably House to be Visit As the invitation not very likely for

5 he will visit on a visit London King at any other to Britain until Juan previous take Europe week place - is invited to attend the lines suggested Personal Representatives French how other countries background of Mr. authority planning. The responsibility for Lyne's to see the about but could start exceptionally reply letter those the dates of this a copy would other on those days. of this minute minute, I should matters we should to Mr. should 4th December to and to find out, against as a last as a basis accept the Prime some Minister Lyne. ARMSTRONG the resort RLFA-ROBERT be on by give us a chance of 7th and 8th June be the Prime A discussion chosen, But I hope on the President Office. they have the on 7th and 8th June. to the French would place or it could enabling at Versailles dates. and this now take cancelled); case to - for instance been the dates so to arrange through I am sending could and Commonwealth choosing to accept implication to try visit on 12th and 13th December thought provisionally else in either to come he will not come and someone meeting the immediate if he agrees has thus and,, Visit, 7th June by the Foreign motives the year; to Sweden on the Tuesday, an Economic I am content probe visit beginning than not come, for a State (as The Queen's rather during the Economic If he does in the week Wednesday Minister and it is after 9th June. Carlos time have for kind of was able

6 á

7 P114 Foreign imalc and Commonwealth London Office SW1A 2AH 3 December )1"4". cliaari; Economic 1982 In your letter of 4 November, you sought advice about the dates proposed for the forthcoming Economic in Paris. The dates now proposed by President Mitterrand have certain practical implications for us. They also raise the wider issue of how these Economic s should fit into other international consultations. I treat this latter point first. We favour the pattern of recent years where a European Council and the OECD's Annual Ministerial Meeting take place in the rult..lup to the Economic. This timing gives other countries a sense of participation in the debate on world economic issues and is, no doubt, of some value to them presentationally. As you know, the second European Council next year is set for 28/29 June. The dates for the OECD Ministerial Meeting are not yet firm but they normally fall in mid-june, in order to fit the timing of their economic forecasts. The French proposal of 7 and 8 June for the Economic, thus pre-empts these two meetings (although the OECD are currently considering bringing forward their meeting to May). It may be the French have deliberately proposed these dates in order to minimise the preparatory process. Since they are the hosts we must leave it to them to shoulder the responsibil1 ity of coping with any adverse reactions. Nonetheless, the point may well entail discussion, at least in the European Community, if the smaller European countries misunderstand French intentions. Although these considerations would suggest dates in July would be preferable, other practical considerations at this end suggest it may be politic to accept the dates proposed by the French. You will have seen a copy of Sir Michael Palliser's letter of 30 November to Washington instructing Sir Nicholas Henderson to explore with the Americans the possibility of President Reagan paying a State Visit to Britain next summer either before or after the Economic. As you will have seen from letter (and depending upon the additional complication of a possible State Visit by King Juan Carlos of Spain) it does look as if the easiest dates from The Queen's point of view would be a visit by President Reagan either in the first week of June, ie before the European, or in the second week of June, ie after the when the particular circumstances of an invitation to President Reagan would enable his visit to start in this country on Wednesday rather than the Tuesday. /Since

8 Since it is unlikely President Reagan will wish to cross the Atlantic twice within a month and providing he agrees to a visit to this country, the probability is we should clearly prefer the June dates. While we hope to hear further from Washington in the next week or so we are unlikely to have a clear decision about the Spanish State Visit until January. In view of these uncertainties, we recommend a holding reply to President Mitterrand along the lines of the attached draft. This would allow the dates to be settled by Personal Representatives who could also consider the question of consultation with other Western partners. I am sending copies of this letter and its enclosure to David Wright, Cabinet Office. ) owv, 1/4 (R M J Lyne) Private Secretar M O'D B Alexander Esq 10 Downing St

9 44,