34. Letter From Secretary of State Haig to the President of the United Nations General Assembly (von Wechmar)1
I am aware that you are in the process of consulting with Ottawa participants with a view to determining their preferences concerning next [Page 105] steps on the matter of Global Negotiations. Ambassador Kirkpatrick informed me of her conversation with you on July 23 in which you inquired whether there had been any developments at the Ottawa Summit or elsewhere which might have changed the US attitude.2
The Ottawa Summit was, from our point of view, a success. We had lengthy and useful discussions of relations with developing countries. Certainly from our point of view, the exchange resulted in some fresh insights into the views of others. We are sanguine that additional perspectives will arise from the wider circle of consultations at Cancun. At Ottawa, we joined together with other governments in reaffirming our willingness to explore all avenues of consultation and cooperation with developing countries in whatever forums may be appropriate. It still remains to be seen for us whether the UN in New York and Global Negotiations as previously conceived are the best way to do this.
Our position on the question of Global Negotiations remains the same as it was before the exchange at Ottawa. While the discussions were very useful, we continue to believe that further consideration of Global Negotiations should not take place at least until the 36th session of the General Assembly—after the Cancun Summit. We appreciate the importance you and others attach to this issue, and therefore do not want to make a final judgment before we have been able to reflect on the overall discussion at Cancun. In line with this position, we strongly favor the most expeditious and purely procedural deferral of Global Negotiations from the 35th to the 36th General Assembly. We do not believe that a further meeting of the Friends of the President on the subject would be either necessary or particularly desirable. Our preference would be for the deferral being handled through a Presidential procedural initiative.
I look forward to further exchanges with you during your Presidency on this and other issues.
Sincerely,
- Source: Department of State, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Investment Policy Files, 1981–1984, Lot 85D193: Cancun Summit—Global Negotiations—Background. No classification marking. Drafted by Lee Sanders (IO/E); cleared by Washburn, Creekmore, Lollis, Fox, Meissner, and Hormats.↩
- In telegram 2449 from USUN, July 24, the Mission reported on von Wechmar’s meeting with Kirkpatrick, and requested guidance for a response to von Wechmar’s query on U.S. attitudes toward Global Negotiations. (Ibid.)↩