Score of opening: Houston's heat 101, ceremonies 13 minutes

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by Kirsten Danis

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The following article appeared in the July 10, 1990, issue of The Rice Thresher . It appears in its original grammatical form.

Sweltering temperatures shortened the opening ceremonies of the 16th annual Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations, where President George Bush and first lady Barbara Bush welcomed seven other world leaders and officially opened summit talks.

Heads of government from Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and West Germany, and the President of the European Community joined Bush on an air-conditioned platform in Rice University's Academic Quadrangle for the ceremony, but even the temperature control could not combat the Houston heat and humidity. A 101 heat index (the combined effect of heat and humidity) limited the ceremony to a scant 13 minutes.

Arriving via motorcade which blocked Houston traffic for almost three hours, the leaders were greeted by fanfare which included a red carpet, a 21-gun salute, and seven national anthems played by United States Armed Forces bands. The group walked shoulder to shoulder as they approached the president and his wife.

Underneath the blistering afternoon sun, Bush welcomed his companions and thanked Houston for hosting the summit.

The president limited his comments to a short formal greeting lasting less than a minute, and he refused to answer any questions about agricultural trade, saying, "Perhaps I forgot to tell you, but I don't take questions at photo opportunities. My apologies."

Earlier in the day, Bush met privately with both French President Francois Mitterand and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Bush and Mitterand discussed the GATT Uruguay Round of global trade talks, where the issue of farm subsidies is causing much dissension between the United States and European countries.

In his remarks, Bush said, "Together we're called upon as allies and friends to work toward decisions here in Houston that will bring a new stability and prosperity to the world by tapping the power and energy of free wills and free markets."

Calling this time the "post-post-war era," Bush spoke confidently about the chance for substantive results in the summit.

"The economic summits have become a framework for frank and constructive dialogue -- a dialogue for progress that I believe will be advanced greatly in the next three days," Bush said.

A banner, probably requested by the French delegation, was hung above the leaders to block the sun's punishing rays.

"Generally, we don't like to leave Mitterand more than 30 minutes under the sun," said Hubert Vedrine, a spokesman for the French delegation.

Some of the leaders arrived in Houston prior to the today's event, but Italian President Giulio Andreotti, Mitterand and Kohl flew to Texas at the last minute. Andreotti and Kohl remained in Rome to watch West Germany defeat Argentina in the World Cup soccer championship Sunday.

Kohl, who was reportedly wearing a new suit for the occasion, responded to Bush's "Hail the champions of football!" with a wide smile.

Kurt Moeller contributed to this report.

* GATT and the Uruguay Round . The U.S. is committed to eliminating the imbalances in agricultual trade.

* Aid to the Soviet Union . The U.S. will not support aid to the Soviet Union until the Soviets make a commitment to market reforms, including eliminating aid to Cuba and the curtailing of defense spending.

* The environment . The President will continue to be committed to the environment without endangering "econ-omic vitality."

* Drugs . The summit heads will discuss international cooperation in the war on drugs, including an emphasis on money laundering.

This item appeared in the Anniversary section of the March 29, 1996 issue.

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