SJ Sir Keith Joseph MP

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P R O P E R T Y OF H E R BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

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CABINET

C O N C L U S I O N S of a M e e t i n g of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street on T U E S D A Y 20 A P R I L 1982 a t 5.15 pro PRESENT

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SECRETARIAT Sir Robert Armstrong M r R L Wade-Gery M r D H Colvin

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F A L K L A N D ISLANDS

P o s s i b l e E m e r g e n c y L e g i s l a t i o n

C u r r e n t Situation

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^ e Cabinet had before them a Note by the S e c r e t a r y o f the C a b i n e t (C(82) 13) c o v e r i n g a r e v i s e d p r i n t of a p o s s i b l e F a l k l a n d Islands E m e r g e n c y B i l l ; and a minute o f 16 A p r i l to the P r i m e M i n i s t e r f r o m the H o m e S e c r e t a r y c o m m e n t i n g on the case for e a r l y l e g i s l a t i o n .

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T H E H O M E S E C R E T A R Y s a i d that i n his view no a c t i o n should be taken * p r e s e n t c i r c u m s t a n c e s to introduce e m e r g e n c y l e g i s l a t i o n . If the situation changed the e x i s t i n g draft B i l l could be brought f o r w a r d v e r y r a p i d l y . It would then p r o v i d e a f r a m e w o r k under w h i c h Defence R e g u l a t i o n s could be made as r e q u i r e d , subject to a f f i r m a t i v e r e s o l u t i o n . Such R e g u l a t i o n s could i f n e c e s s a r y have r e t r o s p e c t i v e f o r c e .

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T H E S E C R E T A R Y O F S T A T E F O R T R A D E said that i n c e r t a i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s the l a c k of e m e r g e n c y l e g i s l a t i o n could l i m i t the scope for a c t i o n by the G o v e r n m e n t ; but no major d i f f i c u l t y was a n t i c i p a t e d , T H E P R I M E M I N I S T E R , s u m m i n g up the d i s c u s s i o n , said that there seemed to be no case for l e g i s l a t i o n i n p r e s e n t c i r c u m s t a n c e s . T h e draft B i l l should be held r e a d y for e a r l y i n t r o d u c t i o n by the H o m e S e c r e t a r y i f r e q u i r e d at a l a t e r stage. The Cabinet ­ 1^

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The C a b i n e t had before them a Note by the S e c r e t a r y of the C a b i n e t (C(82) 15) to w h i c h w e r e attached draft p r o p o s a l s for a settlement r e c e i v e d on 19 A p r i l f r o m the United States S e c r e t a r y of State, ^ H a i g , and for c o m p a r i s o n the e a r l i e r draft a g r e e d between h i m and B r i t i s h - M i n i s t e r s the p r e v i o u s week.

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T H E F O R E I G N A N D C O M M O N W E A L T H S E C R E T A R Y said that the l a t e s t p r o p o s a l s c o m m u n i c a t e d by M r H a i g after h i s second v i s i t to Buenos A i r e s were u n s a t i s f a c t o r y i n a n u m b e r of i m p o r t a n t r e s p e c t s . A s the F r i m e M i n i s t e r had i n f o r m e d P a r l i a m e n t e a r l i e r that afternoon, he h i m s e l f would be v i s i t i n g Washington on 22 A p r i l . He would be putting c o u n t e r - p r o p o s a l s to M r H a i g , who was h i m s e l f c l e a r l y disappointed by the r e s u l t s of h i s talks i n Buenos A i r e s and d i d not appear to rule out continuing h i s attempts at negotiating a settlement. T H E P R I M E M I N I S T E R , s u m m i n g up the d i s c u s s i o n , said that m a x i m u m d i p l o m a t i c , e c o n o m i c and m i l i t a r y p r e s s u r e would need to be exerted i f the A r g e n t i n e G o v e r n m e n t w e r e to be brought to agree to acceptable p r o v i s i o n s i n three c r u c i a l a r e a s i n p a r t i c u l a r : w i t h d r a w a l a r r a n g e ­ m e n t s ; the i n t e r i m a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ; and p r o v i s i o n for negotiating a definitive s o l u t i o n . M e a n w h i l e i t was i m p o r t a n t to p r e s e r v e the c o n f i d e n t i a l i t y of the draft p r o p o s a l s , and c o m m e n t should be kept to a

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SECRET

minimum. She would a r r a n g e for the P r e s s to be told that the Cabinet had taken stock of the p r e s e n t p o s i t i o n , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n the l i g h t of the A r g e n t i n e p r o p o s a l s c o m m u n i c a t e d by M r H a i g and of the F o r e i g n and C o m m o n w e a l t h S e c r e t a r y ' s f o r t h c o m i n g v i s i t to Washington. The C a b i n e t ­ 2.

T o o k note.

C a b i n e t Office 21 A p r i l 1982

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