‘Curtain-raiser’ for P.M.

Press, 12 May 1984, Page 8

‘Curtain-raiser’ for P.M.

NZPA staff correspondent Washington The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, in Washington for talks with Ministers of other countries and officials of international organisations on world trade problems, had a private “curtain-raiser” meeting yesterday with the United States trade representative, Mr Bill Brock, who has convened the meeting. Mr Brock has insisted that all participants be senior politicians, and Washington sources say that the 17 people attending the closed-door talks will look at the political, and longterm, aspects of the problems which block free trade and have led to lopsided debt. Sir Robert said after yesterday’s meeting with Mr

Brock that the two-day conference would be “very informal” and that the Ministers would talk about “how we can deal with the total problem of the interdependent world economy.” No resolutions would be put forward and no final communique would be issued, he said. He regarded this meeting as a major break-through. “We start off tomorrow morning talking about the trade issues,” he said. After that, said Sir Robert the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Mr Jacques de Larosiere, would address the a about what the I.M.F. do on payments. “Then we’ll spend the afternoon talking about what he’s put in front of us and then Saturday morning will be a wrap-up session.”