Michael Brunson, ITN
This was a depressing summit and those who came to it produced a long and depressing communiqué. They reviewed the world's trouble spots, especially the Middle East, and particularly denounced Israel's actions on the West Bank. Much of the time was spent on Europe's economic woes and the communiqué calls for a co-ordinated policy to increase investment and bring down unemployment. All very fine, but how? Well, it's left to the individual governments. The summit produced no magic formula. The Belgian Prime Minister's plan for everyone to increase investment by one per cent died the death. Even more depressing for Britain was President Mitterrand 's smack in the face for plans to settle the problem of Britain's Common Market bill. Today Mrs. Thatcher said she was quite taken by surprise of [sic] his attitude. But wasn't she herself, as the French suggest, being a bit stubborn over the whole thing?
MT
I have every right to be stubborn. Er, I must in fact get just precisely what we need for an equitable and fair solution in Britain, and I shall go on being stubborn until we get it. Er, but if you're asking for equity and fairness you expect others to be understanding. Now I happen to be very sympathetic to the German position. They're making by far the biggest contribution; we'd be making unless we already had an adjustment to our budget, and we must have an adjustment that continues. But the rest of them, uh, as I say, mainly are net beneficiaries and, ah, my goodness me, if I'm being stubborn saying we don't get a fair deal, they're being stubborn in continuing to be net beneficiaries from that budget.
Michael Brunson, ITN
Mrs. Thatcher reckons that she holds one trump card, her veto over the Common Market farm prices. She thinks that President Mitterrand needs those to be settled very quickly, while Britain on the other hand will continue to draw the cash rebates negotiated under the old deal at least until the end of this year. Michael Brunson, News at Ten, Brussels.