When he was elected in 1978, the Holy See had full ties with 85 states.
There will be strong temptation to maintain full ties with the fund.
Turkey, a NATO member, downgraded its ties with Baghdad after the 1991 gulf war, but has twice threatened to restore full ties.
Mr. Woodcock supported normalization, arguing that he was sure the United States would "find the necessary courage" to withdraw its recognition of Taiwan and establish full ties with China.
At a Rose Garden ceremony shortly after the signing, Mr. Clinton, flanked by several Vietnam war veterans who now serve in Congress, hailed the trade deal as a vital step in resuming full ties.
The two countries cut off relations after the 1979 Iranian revolution, and each keeps only a lesser diplomatic outpost in the other's capital rather than a full embassy, even though most other Arab states — even Saudi Arabia, Iran's longtime rival — have restored full ties.
It is understood that the government has sympathy with the BBC's argument, while Ofcom is said to be "nervous" of a full tie-up between the two.
Matthew Parris and Trevor Kavanagh – columnists for the Times and the Sun – may be regular guests on Sky News, but critics of the proposed News Corporation takeover of BSkyB believe the potential for integration would be far deeper in the event of a full tie-up.
A full-scale tie-up with Channel 4, however, "misses the fundamental point of what Worldwide is".
Britain resumed full diplomatic ties in 1998.
