Nixon, Pompidou agree to differ

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33241, 2 June 1973, Page 15

Nixon, Pompidou agree to differ

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

REYKJAVIK, June 1. President Nixon and President Pompidou remain far apart on a solution to French-American trade and monetary differences, but have at least agreed to avoid a political division over them.

. .. leaders, ending their two-day summit in Reykjavik, seem equally determined that their differences over trade and money shall not be permitted to weaken the North Atlantic Alliance.

They have apparently buried the idea of an Atlantic summit between Xivnn anrl Fnrnnonn Mr Mxon and European leaders later this year unless there is a sudden meeting of minds on what it should achieve i * j nv- acn,ev .®: Instead, Mr Nixon will see the European leaders individually. Apparently neither President had any success in swaying the other on the key issue of whether international negotiations on traSe, money, and defence should 'be linked. The Americans favour some kind of linkage, and the French are against it; but Mr Nixon and Mr Pompidou, in private as well as in public, have taken a conciliatory approach, clearly anxious not to make agreement on specific issues more difficult. Mr Nixon told Mr Pompidou at a dinner given by the Icelandic Government last night that the common ties between the United States and France were much stronger than any issues which might temoprarily

divide them. “I am confident at °ur conversations will \ n an ( even closer ?PP reciatlon Of our common ln terests and our common objectives," he said, Mr Pompidou, who gave a 'yarning of the great danger ■. Western Europe of any unilateral withdrawal of American forces, said that American-French friendship was as necessary as ever. “The world is too fraught with uncertainties for any weakening of the North Atlantic Alliance,” he said, Mr Nixon and Mr Pompi-

dou agreed that the world monetary system needed urgent reform — which was gratifying for the French leader, who has been pressing strongly for such an overhaul. Mr Pompidou had also been the first to express deep reservations about the idea of an Atlantic summit, which Mr Nixon had hoped might formulate a new “Atlantic Charter,” setting guidelines for the whole gamut of American-European negotiations.

But the two leaders agreed that a multi-lateral summit would serve a useful purpose only if progress was made beforehand in negotiations to create a less crisis-prone world monetary system, and to reduce barriers to international trade. While France remains steadfast in denying that trade, money and defence questions are inter-related, Mr Nixon believes that the French now are less suspicious of American motives in suggesting such an interrelationship. Mr Nixon’s foreign policy adviser, Dr Henry Kissinger, said after five hours of the Nixon-Pompidou talks yesterday that he thought the French understood better now that the United States was not trying to blackmail Western Europe into economic concessions by threatening to reduce her defence commitment to Europe.