The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 1

Printed in London and Manchester Tuesday November 20 1984 23p iiirnimr mtmmtmlmimmmm If Ilf lisSF PM rejects united Ireland and joint rule options Ulster Reagan lifts US Laker threat to A sets a for initiative a'L 'JIKJni BACK TO THE BLACK STUFF an underground shift ends for some of tin SOI miners said to have returned to work at Manton colliery, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire, which is part ol the Col Board's Yorkshire area. They checked underground roads and expect to be cutting coal by the end of next week Garret FitzGerald another meeting in new year of government" in Northern 3 XmunTtdVwith hSt thoir riohts uc cataatiorAart Ono By Julia Langdon in London and Paul Johnson in Belfast The Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, yesterday agreed with the Irish Taois-each, Dr Garret FitzGerald, on early moves to explore a route to a joint political initiative on the problems of Northern Ireland. The two-day Anglo-Irish summit at Chequers was described by both sides as the most far-reaching talks held between the two premiers, and the most realistic discussion the issues of mutual concern. Mrs Thatcher and Dr FitzGerald are to meet again early in the new year to discuss what IRA reacts with raids, page Leader comment, page 12. progress has been made on the secret agenda for action which they agreed yesterday.

Neither prime minister at senarate mess conferences in London last nisht was prepared to give any indication about what those talks would involve. It was clear, however, that Sf as well as the need for agree ment between the political parties representing the two communities in Northern Ireland. The communique issued after the Chequers talks did carry some hints about what might be expected in the coming months. Barclays Unions agree new plans to thwart coal movement other interesting line in the pertations that the early sum-agreed document was the nut would a solution next time, but added We can was attended by representatives of three power station nninni: whirh have riledsed fears of the rail unions that jobs may be threatened after the strike by decisions to switch the movement of coal on that it would nut forward snnLrtislatfon to the lJuffL mlioritv in the North expressing a wish for and TMnrh nvnrocciticr a wish for and eont a in its ctntns Initial reaction to the com- Sd 1 fromdtsappom'S expresseu Dy tne iwo mam unionist parties, a measure oi pleasure irom tne mainiy wouiu be progress on improv-Roman Catholic Social, Demo- jng security. Z.JiJ thTorZ Mrs Thatcher understandably British "Government to impose A four-point programme of laid emphasis at ner press con- security poncy.

a new in fKi nffiiHsi ctato. ferenre on the inabilitv of the work of secuntv was necessarv. any smuuuns. sue tuiu ui pull proppsals out of the hat like rabbits, she said. But she was' clearly deter-'tion mmed that a further attempt should now be made to make get he support to the NUM, the Gen- nrol Mnnirinal anil Rnilprmnk- erSj tne Amaigamatea union or Engineering Workers, and the Transport and General Work- ers.

The Electrical, Electronic Telecommunications and Plumbing Union and the Elec- wflv. auun, wnic-ii nave iciuseu support were not present. Transport workers were represented by the TGWU, United Boad Transport Union, Na- NCB deplores "crazy Police at-pits "straight from training," other reports, page High Court halts seamen's levy, page North-east heads for division lobby, page 13. tional Union of Railwaymen, and the locomen's union. Aslef.

It was the first time that the two group's, whose support is crucial to the miners, have met under the chairmanship of the TUC general secretary, Mr iNorraan yviius, A statement said they had reaffirmed their support for the NUM, and for all the unions taking action in line with Congress policy The statement added In particular, the unions will co- UI illume men cuuiw iu uua- trate attempts to move coal stocked at strike bound pit- heads. The unions are taking steps to strengthen liaison between them, both at local and national levels;" The reference to all unions taking action" reflects the From Alex Btummer in Washington and Michael Smith in London PRESIDENT Reagan has Ordered an end to anti-trust investigations into the collapse of Laker Airlines in 1982, the US Justice Depart-ment announced last night. The exceptional ruling by Mr Reagan on foreign policy and law enforcement grounds follows a series of strong messages from the British Government. The Government has consistently, disputed the US Justice Department's jurisdiction in the Laker, case, claiming that American law does not reach across the Atlantic. Clearance of the US antitrust suit removes a major' hurdle in the planned privatisation of British Airways, and possibly opens up the prospect of cheaper air travel to North America.

Earlier in the autumn the Attorney-General, Sir Michael Havers raised the matter with his opposite number, Mr William French Smith at a legal conference in New Orleans. This may have been an important factor in President Reagan's decision, according to, officials. British diplomats, noted last night that although this sore in Anglo-American relations had been dealt with there were still important issues concerning Transatlantic air travel to be resolved. "The talks on further arrangements are still not settled by this decision," one diplomat commented. The British Government recently moved against cut-price air fares across the Atlantic in retaliation for the continued Laker investigations.

But officials noted that the atmosphere would be considerably' improved by President decision, which took the, matter of the, normal- American legal tfrcrceBses on forien policy A- spokesman for the US jWtfepartmetitt Mr Mark said last night: "A case like this can present difficult law- enforcement and foreign relations issues. The President is the ultimate law enforcement authority in both of those areas. He determined that 'closing the investigation was in the nation's best interests." The Laker dispute Is one of several concerning the reach Turn to back page, col. 7 Sir. Freddie Laker: conspiracy claim remains.

Big defeat for Gower England's cricket captain David Gower, no stranger to defeat this year, suffered another reversal yesterday in Ahmedabad when England were beaten by an innings and 59 runs against the Indian under-25s. It was the first time an England team had lost a three-day match in India since Jardine's tour of 1933-34. They needed to bat out the last four hours to save the game but were dismissed for 117. Gower batted 90 minutes for eight runs. Reports, page 28 Kremlin From Martin Walker in Moscow The Politburo can at last look forward to the day when it can hold weekly meetings proposals which will lead to fundamental improvement in the situation," she said.

must, prove a serious disappointment to the Irish Government, Mrs "Tha tcher firmly ruled out any of the three suggestions for the future, organisation of Ireland which were contained in the report of the New Ireland Forum. She said that a united Ireland. federal' Ireland, or a system of joint authority to administer the North were all out The agreement to meet again in tne new year is significant. Mrs Thatcher said I think it indicates that it is quite easy to talk in generalities. It is much more difficult to translate those generalities intn nrnctinal nrn.

neoi un, oanf.kio lne community. She did not wish to raise' ex- nly tr once we want a political framework that will give us stability in Northern Ireland as part of the UK. That is what we. are striving to achieve." The important message of the summit for the people of Nor- 2 ffimS couid not be realised without thejr cooperation there This was the main theme at Dr FitzGerald's press confer- ence, where he drew attention to the need for an even-handed deserved attention, and would irc wuuug umuuu, said. "We do not see that any solii- is going to be worthwhile somg to damage the interests -of.

one-community, in Aavpur ot anotner. Any. solution i ura ubck at It says Ingredients E202, E104, E123, Sulphur Dioxide, Emulsifying Salts, Sodium Inosinate and Monosodiwm Glutamate' no mention of any poison." Market moves POUND down .0110 to FT index down 0.9 to 919.1; Dow Jones down 2.65 to 1185.29; Markets, page 16. "inside Arts, reviews 11 Business finance 14-16 Crosswords 31, 32 Education Guardian 7, 9 Guardian Women 10 Home News 2-4, 32 Letters 12 Overseas News 5, 6 Parliament 4 Sports News 28, 29 TV RADIO 30 ENTERTAINMENTS 30 PERSONAL 31 inter the R.ikhirpvc and ichari. tonenkos decamped swiftly for Pans as the revolution swept away aristocrats and sugar, tycoons alike.

For a year it became the seat of the Red Cross relief campaign, and was then taken over as a guest house by tne Soviet Foreign Ministry, which is when H. G. Wells came to stay. The building was then used as a residence by the foreign minister. Pavel Litvinov.

before becoming the British embassy in 1929, restored by a sue cession of British ambassadors, it boasts one of the finest ball- rooms in Moscow, white and gold like a set from War and Peace. Other rooms are triumphs of the late Gothic re- vival, designed by the famous Russian architect Schechtel. But, hardening their hearts to all sentimental attachments, nroeress are. seeiiur wnetnerwe can aevise pracwcai IN BRIEF Gays run blood risk HOMOSEXUALS in London are continuing to donate blood, despite being warned that they run the risk of infecting patients with Aids virus. Back page.

Monopoly ends OPTICIANS were caught by surprise by a government announcement yesterday ending their monopoly to sell glasses from December 10. Back page. Austin reverses AUSTIN Rover yesterday backed away from seeking immediate contempt fines against the transport union. Page 4. Rajiv passes test RAJIV GANDHI comfortably passed the test of his first mass rally as prime minister yesterday, but the attendance was disappointing.

Page Leader comment, page 12. Unesco goad THE US pullout from Unesco follows 10 years of abuse. Britain has no comparable goal, argues Richard Hoggart. Page 13; VVhitlam warning, page 5. The weather MIST and some rain.

Details, back page. paves way for rate cuts By Margarets Pagano, City Correspondent Another round of interest rate cuts looks imminent. Barclays Bank paved the way yesterday with a 1 per cent cut to 9 per cent. This is the second reduction in bank base rates in less than two weeks, and -the fifth move since rates we're pushed up in July' to 12 per cent to' defend the. pound.

Although the small scale of the cut surprised the markets, it confirms the down ward trend and underlines con-aaenee. of the Chancellor, Mr Nigel Lawson, when ne predicted weeKithar rates wete.set to fail. The cut will heln the Gov ernment in the British Telecom flotation which starts. today when it releases applica tion, forms for the 3.9 million share issue. The other, main clearing banks are expected to cut, base rates over the next few days But it is still unclear whether City.

Notebook, page 14; BT prospectus, pages 17-26 they will follow the Barclays move or drop by a i per cent, as predicted over the past few weeks: All the clearing banks indi cated that their rates were under review, but a full 1 per cent- cut is Barclays also announced a cut in the deposit rate from per. cent 6 per cent and its mortgage rate has been pared from, 12J per cent to 12per cent from December 3. This brings it closer in line with the other banks and building societies which recently announced a per cent cut. when trading started in the money markets the key tnree-month interbank rate dropped to per cent, signalling a i per cent reduction. But when the Bank of England failed to signal a cut Dy cutting its intervention rates, Barclays which tends to follow the money market more closely than' the others went it alone.

Later in the day the Bank endorsed Barclays' move by cutting its dealing rates by i per cent, indicating that it would, welcome full i per cent cut to at per cent. Sterling was unaffected by the move but weakened against the dollar which, was in strong demand m- thin trading on for-eicn exchanges. After recovering sngntiy against the European curren cies, the pound finished down l.io cents at ana aown 0.4 to 76 on the effective in dex of a basket of currrencies. tho ininmnfir. ctatf cmiin anH bravely say it is terribly incon- venient to work in.

The vast rooms are partitioned into narrow cubby holes and only one stupendously grand staircase connects all the floors. More to the point, it is too small for the embassy staff, whose commercial section operates from an equally poky set of offices in a modern block half way across the city. Soviet plans for the building, once' liberated, have not been made public. One thing is certain. By the year 2000, when the Politburo break for coffee and gazes out for inspiration across the golden domes and the Mos- cow skyline, the only flags they will see will be bright red.

The Union flag will have decamped to its new quarters on the city's inner ring road. By John Ardill, Labour Correspondent Transport and power unions arp, to stSD UD their efforts tO prevent une expectea move- ment of coal from strikebound pits to power stations within the next two to tour weens. The Central Electricity Gen- erating Board's need for fresh supplies paiuuuituijr otiuug ui YorKsnire, wnicn contriD-utes up to a fifth of its total capacity, unions were told at a meeting at the TUG yesterday. The plans, which include setting up local liaison committees to ensure a prompt response to coal movements were drawn up as another 2,282 miners left the strike, adding weight to National Coal Board predictions that 7,000 new faces" will appear at the pits this week! Eight, more pits four in Yorkshire had some National Union of Mineworkers members at work, bringing the total to 140 out of 174. the NCB said.

The unions claim that the decision of power workers at some key stations in Yorkshire and the London area to refuse to accept new supplies of coal will mean power cuts in January. The presence of miners even in relatively small numbers at hitherto strikebound pits may make it easier for the NCB and CEGB to start moving stocks from mtheads. but the Transport and General Work ers' Union general seeretary- eiect, Mr non roao, was' conn- dent last night that the unions could stop it. Yesterday's TUC meeting Hotel with a thieving magpie By Martin Wainwright HOTELIERS throughout Britain will be taking a new interest in their surroundings this morning after, an unusual theft case at a court In Dorking, Surrey. Magistrates were told that Trusthouse Forte had been pillaged of almost enough equipment to make a new hotel without anyone noticing.

In a spectacular version of the maid running off with the silver, Mrs Maria Unsworth magpied for four years from the Burford Bridge Hotel, near Dorking, where she worked as a cleaner. Police found an Aladdin's cave of THF property when they searched her home after a tip-off. Among other things, they found five crystal chandeliers, 236 sheets, 180 pillowcases, 426 towels, 350 items of cutlery, 13 coffee percolators. 10 kettles, 41 bathroom mugs, a suitcase full of antiques, 1681b of sugar cubes, 61b of butter, tea, coffee, bottles of snirlts, cut glass, flower pots, 60 ashtrays, bars of soap, books, brassware, a folding bed; 283 toilet rolls, and a toilet seat. None of the items had been' missed.

The court was left with an impression of unperturbed managements while guests took soapless baths, dried themselves by running on the spot, and drank cold, unsweetened, water, out of saucers in the dark. Although things were not that bad, Mrs Unsworth's thefts went undetected until two fellow employees at the 50-room hotel spotted her putting a bag into an incinerator near her car. Thev decided to look, and found cof- Turn to back page, col. 7 and ore to steelworks and coal to power stations permanently to road convoys. The unions present, and Mr Willis made it clear that they would back any union facing damage to itself as a result of action taken in line with TUC support for the miners.

Union leaders would not discuss their tactics in detail for frustrating the movement of coal. They were apparently pessimistic about the prospects of reducing the shipments oi oil into the country -to substitute for coal. The NCD's claim that over 60,000 miners are not on strike nearly' one in three, of the NUM membership continues to' be strenuously denied by the union. Its spokeswoman said: "We reckon, using the coal board's own calculations about back-to-work figures In the areas, that there can't be any more than 51,372 at work, which leaves 140,128 on strike. That 51,000 is nearly 10,000 less than they were savins were back at work in June add July.

We have reckoned that even if you accept board's figures for a numi of the areas and we di accept them that t( makes far less than 62.000." Among those returning work yesterday were two NUS branch officials, Mr John Cn ningham at Ellington in Nor ML CU- umberland, and Mr George trice at suveraaie, Staffordshire. The NCB said its morning Turn to back page, coL.1 uti vat in nv. jL-t7u. UK GC4 I ment included an expression of the need to recognise ana res- peot the identities of both com- munities in Northern Ireland, and for this to be reflected in an acceptable manner in the "structures and processes'- Tt nisn saM that the log of sub By Richard Norton-Taylor The signals log of the' submarine HMS Conqueror, which sank the Argentine cruiser the General Belgrano during the Falklands war, has. been destroyed, Mr Michael Heseltine, Defence Secretary, said, last nieht.

The signals log would contain crucial information about the times of communications transmitted to London by the Conqueror as well as messages sent to the submarine from fleet headquarters at North-wood. It could provide evidence about the times the War Cabinet's order to sink the Belgrano given at about 1.30 pm on May 2, 1982. more than four hours after the cruiser reversed course away from the task force was sent to the submarine. That order to HMS Conqueror was repeated twice during the afternoon of May 2. Mr Heseltine, who had already said that signals logs were not retained permenently, disclosed that it had been destroyed in a written Commons answer to Mr George Foulkes, a Labour foreign affairs spokesman.

Mr Tam Dalyell, Labour MP for Linlithgow said last night that it was difficult to believe that the signals account had been destroyed as a routine matter. The Conqueror's missing control room log was the subject of a board of inquiry whose findings are now with the Fleet Commander-in-Chief. relief as Stalin loathed the intrusive presence of the place, and one of the final acts of his rule, on Christmas Eve, 1952, was tQ serve the then British am- haRfinHnr urith fnrmal n'nHnA leases, grudgmgiy renewed, ever since But the move is at last under way. At the end of this month. the Foreign Office's permanent under-Secretary, Sir Anthony Acland, will come here to in- spect the two new sites on offer.

Each will involve a great deal of new building, and so the formal handover of what H. G. Wells called the finest site in Moscow" will not take place until some time in the 1990s, The move is being negotiated now because the Crown leases for the Soviet embassy buil- dings in London are up for re- newal, which at last puts the Signals destroyed is to Union Jack comes down There are over 50,000 people, young and old, who've had to learn, about Multiple Sclerosis. Some show no obvious handicap. Others suffer paralysis, impaired sight incontinence.

Each year, research brings a cure closer. But in 1983 alone, research cost us 1 million.And caringforMS sufferers, another 2 million. So please send all you can to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Send it by cheque, giro, postal order, money ordercash or credit card. And save yourchildren learningabout MS.

I I in the Kremlin without, having. t0 quit. The embassy staff has Despite the affection its gran-to draw the curtams against the lived on a series of one-year deur and location have inspired luiiuuii on van. tci. vrjox lenclosea donation to the British in something like an equal negotiating position.

have to move someday and now is the best moment to do the bargaining" a senior British riinlnmnt PYnlninpri. in generations of British diplo- mats and visitors, the embassy not a particularly fine building. It was built in the 19th century, replacing a much older wooden manor house, as the Moscow residence of the aristo- cratic family of Count Bakhirev. am, in a scene siraignt out of a Chekhov play, the Bakhirev family fell on hard times. A nouveau-riohe sugar tycoon from the Ukraine called Khar- itonenko agreed to rebuild and restore the house and return it the family, in exchange for the hand in marriage of the nobleman's beautiful daughter.

That was in 1893 and 24 years Please send me the Society's leaflet on making covenants or bequests. Please debit my Access CardBarclaycard (delete as applicable the sum of Card No. Cardholder's Signature Donations receipted on request Name i uenam. nuiieruis ui uiBmon rut num atiuoo me wfei. iuc British embassy liere1s at last going to mover Standing on the southern embankment of the Moscow river, UTfaces the red brick battlejnents and the gilded of the Kremlin.

From tire embassy forecourt and bai- conies, one sees the seat of Soviet government at its most photogenic, and a parade of tourist coaches comes by each day to take snapshots and hear the Intourist guides tell of British stubbornness in refusing the newer, larger, better sites constantly on offer elsewhere, Address. MULTIPLE 'SCLEROSIS Ws can only find the cute if we find the funds.