Office of the Historian

213. Letter From President Carter to Malaysian Prime Minister Hussein1

Washington, March 25, 1979
Dear Mr. President:

Thank you very much for your letter of March 92 giving your views on the Common Fund negotiations. I appreciate your good wishes and would like to reaffirm the importance that I attach to an effective Common Fund which would be of value to both producers and consumers of basic raw materials.

As you know, the United States and other industrialized countries agreed last November that direct capital contributions from governments should be a substantial element of the Common Fund’s resources for buffer stocking purposes. And we agreed that a second window facility could finance certain non-stabilization measures for commodities of interest to the developing countries.

Our own proposal represented a major effort to accommodate the developing countries’ concerns and, at the same time, to produce a compromise acceptable to the United States. I am gratified that at the recent negotiating session the elements emerged of a Common Fund3 that will serve our mutual interests. Of course, a number of complicated issues have yet to be resolved. I look forward to the continued constructive participation of Indonesia in working out the final accord.

We believe progress is being made in the natural rubber negotiations.4 We are prepared to address a number of the concerns of the producing countries and would hope that our own concerns will be addressed by them in a similarly constructive manner. Our objective continues to be the negotiation of a workable and balanced agreement that will be of benefit to both the producers and consumers of natural rubber.

In conclusion, Mr. President, I wish to express my continuing appreciation for the constructive efforts that your Government is making to promote peace and stability in your region as well as to achieve progress on such other issues as the Common Fund.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Carter
  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Platt Chron File, Box 66, 3/20–31/79. No classification marking.↩
  2. See Document 212.↩
  3. See footnote 2, Document 211.↩
  4. See footnote 4, Document 211.↩