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Background Briefing by a Senior American Official Aboard Air Force One [Pool Report]
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7337352
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Background Briefing by a Senior American Official Aboard Air Force One [Pool Report]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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1974-12-14
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1974
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Digitized from Box 5 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
DECEMBER 14, 1974
POOL
BACKGROUND BRIEFING
BY A
SENIOR AMERICAN OFFICIAL
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE
C. How did the meeting come about and what do you hope to
achieve?
A. Shortly after the President took office discussions started with
the French about a meeting between the two Presidents and I think the final
decision was made sometime in December, I don't know when it was announced.
But this is how it came about. Now what do we want to accomplish?
We consider France an important and valued ally. We believe that many
of the disagreements that have characterized France-American relations
for fifteen years are unnecessary and soluble. Many of them have concerned
French fears that we want to force them into particular institutions. We
are not concerned with institutions, we are concerned with substance.
We will discuss the general Franco-American relationship, European-Ameri-
can relationships, and then we will discuss a series of specific issues. One
is energy. Second is East-West relations. I am not saying that we will
discussthem necessarily in that order. Three is economic relations of the
United States to the rest of the world, particularly to Europe. Under East-
West relations we undoubtedly will discuss a European security conference,
our meetings with Soviet leaders, and their meetings with Soviet leaders.
These will be the major items.
And of course any other topic either President wishes to raise.
C. Under topics of speculation there have been the matter of bring-
ing France into cooperation with the IEA, (international energy agency) and
the aircraft competition between the two countries, because there is so much
money involved. What are the prospects on these two things?
A. First, let me not deal with the IEA as such, let me deal with
the energy problem. Let me go on from there to the IEA. At the Washington
Energy Conference last year (this year) we proposed three steps.
First, the organization of consumer solidarity among the advanced industrial
countries and the major importing countries.
Second, another discussion with other consumers, from the less developed
countries. Thirdly, a consumer-producer conference. Now the second
turns out not to be so practical, to have a consumer conference including the
less developed countries, because that puts them into a very difficult position.
But anyway, the idea of a consumer-producer conference we agreed with.
Our concern is this; there are many consumer-producer talks going on now.
The United States commissions with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and good relations with
many other Arab countries. The Europeans have a dialogue with the Arab
countries. So there is a lot of consumer-producer dialogue going on. The
question is what will happen at a consumer-producer dialogue where all the
consumers are put together with all of the producers. Our view is that a
consumer-producer conference at which there is not consumer solidarity
will make the situation worse because it will lead to constant disputes among
the consumers in front of the producers and it will not have the results that
most parties would want.
(MORE)
-2-
Therefore, we are in favor first of strengthening consumer solidarity,
second developing common positions for the conference and then going
to the conference. Both are necessary.
If you simply start with common positions but not real solidarity then the
positions will not survive three weeks at the conference. Now there is
a good framework for consumer solidarity in the IEA. Really I don't
believe that enough attention has been given to the emergency sharing
program and alternative sources programs that we have developed.
We believe that we can enhance within the next two or three months,
on the basis of the Chicago speech which I gave on behalf of the
President, consumer solidarity sufficiently to go to the next step
which is the preparation of consumer positions and from there we can
go to a producer conference.
Should France join the IEA? We don't care whether France joins the
IEA as such. Many cod-orative things can be worked out. For
example, our proposal of financial solidarity can be achieved within
the group of ten or other groups that deal primarily with bilateral
matters. Conservation measures can be worked out on the basis
of principles developed by the IEA but separately. I think with good
will on both sides we can find a solution to that problem.
So I believe, and the President believes, we are dealing with a soluble
problem.
We are very flexible on this. The institutions don't matter so much.
But it depends on whether the French really want consumer solidarity.
If they want it, we'll find a way of bringing it about. But if they want
to use the producer conference to undermine consumer solidarity
then we have another problem.
I think they want cooperation. And if that's what they want, then we'll
succeed.
Q. Do you have any evidence of that?
A. That's what remains to be seen. But that's my impression
from talking to Sauvagnargues at NATO.
Q. You spoke of two to three months to develop solidarity and
then go into the period of developing unified positions. What time frame
are you talking about there ? Is that three months?
A. Another three months. Without this there's no sense in
having a meeting. The French have never said what they wanted.
Q. They want it a lot sooner than we want it, don't they ?
A. The French have never been specific. But, at any rate,
we will not go to an unprepared conference.
Q. What about the aircraft problem, how important it is and
what you think will happen. And what about the mandate Giscard
apparently has from the other common market countries to ask the
United States to adopt reflationary policies?
(MORE)
-3-
A. Giscard did not bring a mandate. The Europeans said
they expressed the view that the meeting was important. They did not
give him a mandate with a content. Inflation is not part of the mandate
anyway. That sentence (in the communique from Europe) refers to the
energy problem and not the economic problem.
Q. The French feel that this conference is stacking up as
a confrontation. It has a possibility of a confrontation with OPEC.
A. We have no interest in a confrontation. If the French want
to appear at the conference as mediators between us and OPEC, we can
do that ourselves. We have no interest in a confrontation. On the other
hand, we cannot.
one of two things is going to happen at that conference.
Either the consumers know what they want and negotiate from that in a
conciliatory spirit, or they don't. In which case you're going to have a
fragmented group and total chaos. That is the issue. We absolutely
do not want a confrontation.
C. What about the aircraft thing ?
A. The aircraft thing is a very difficult thing. We have no
reason to raise it. If they want to raise it, we are prepared to discuss it,
but it is a difficult thing to work out, because you can't just assign
a country to either us or the French and say you must buy from either
France or the United States. I mean that's dividing up the bargain
in a way that would be unacceptable to the countries concerned.
Q. What about a joint venture there ?
A. A joint venture.
we're willing to listen to ideas for the
future.
C. What's the goal of the conference regarding oil, to make
certain that there is an adequate supply at the right price ?
A. The conference should look at the problem of price over
a long period of time, the problem of development of the oil countries
and the problem of recycling, and the problem of the stability of the
important economies. It's an important conference. That's why it
has to be well prepared.
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