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Haughey's tea with Thatcher at No 10

THE Taoiseach, Mr Haughey, will meet the British Prime Minister Mrs Thatcher at noon today, bearing the gift of an antique Irish silve teapot.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach's office would make no comment yesterday other than to say "yes he is making a presentation". However it is understood that the gift, which was carefully chosen and packaged, is an Irish silver teapot of the Georgian period.

The presentation will be made when the first millionaire Taoiseach meets the first woman Prime Minister in Europe for crucial talks. The English, appropriately enough, hold the longest tea-drinking tradition in the Western world. And Mr Haughey is known to be partial to that tradition himself, having a fine silver tea service in the Taosieach's office.

[The following day's report on the meeting deals with affairs of state]

The Taoiseach, Mr Haughey, left Downing Street yesterday convinced that . . . Mrs Thatcher is now prepared to give the problem of Northern Ireland the kind of attention once devoted to reaching a settlement in Zimbabwe. The Taoiseach and Prime Minister agreed to develop "new and closer political co-operation between their Governments and to hold regular meetings to review progress." The heads of Government will meet twice a year.

They spoke in their joint communiqué last night of the unique relationship between the peoples of Ireland and Britain and the need to further that relationship in the interests of peace and reconciliation.

They acknowledged each other's (clearly differing) view on the North in a significant sentence which carried echoes of the declaration announcing the Sunningdale agreement in 1973.

It said: "While agreeing with the Prime Minister that any change in the constitutional status of Northern Ireland would only come about with the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland, the Taoiseach reaffirmed that it is the wish of the Irish Government to secure the unity of Ireland by agreement and in peace."

From Wednesday May 21, 1990, and Thursday May 22, 1990