QUOTE CERTAINLY NEITHER OF US WAS ABLE TO ASSESS WHAT WAS LIKELY TO HAPPEN IN TERMS OF A TIME TABLE FOR A CEASEFIRE, BECAUSE NEITHER OF US HAVE INFORMATION ON WHICH WE COULD MAKE ANY JUDGMENT. THAT
WAS CERTAINLY SO UNTIL YESTERDAY AND I DO NOT THINK THERE IS
ANY FRESH NEWS TODAY. CERTAINLY NEITHER CHINA NOR BRITAIN HAS BEEN
ASKED TO PLAY AND PART IN, A CONFERENCE OR IN SUPERVISION MACHINERY.
ALL THIS IS VERY SPECULATIVE. I THINK BOTH OF US ENVISAGE THERE MIGHT
BE AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. AND IF SUCH A CONFERENCE WERE
CALLED, THEN BRITAIN AND CHINA WOULD BOTH HAVE TO CONSIDER WHAT PART
TO PLAY. BUT THIS IS SO SPECULATIVE AT THE MOMENT THAT THERE IS NO
DECISION THAT EITHER OF US COULD TAKE. BUT I DID SAY TO PREMIER
CHOU THAT I HOPED THAT WE COULD KEEP IN VERY CLOSE TOUCH AND
CONSULTATION IN THIS MATTER BECAUSE OUR INTERESTS ARE EXACTLY THE
SAME, AND THAT IS TO SEE PEACE IN THIS AREA OF SE ASIA, AND WHAT IS MORE, TO CREATE A PEACE UNDER WHICH THESE THREE COUNTRIES LAOS, CAMBODIA AND VIETNAM CAN BE NON-ALIGNED UNQUOTE.
AIR AGREEMENT.
18. ASKED WHETHER A SINO/BRITISH AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT WAS ANY
CLOSER THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID:
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QUOTE THE INTENTION IS THERE TO CONCLUDE IT. THE SOONER WE CAN
DO SO THE BETTER. IT IS A MATTER FOR NEGOTIATION, I CANNOT GIVE
A TIMETABLE FOR THAT UNQUOTE.
19. FURTHER QUESTIONED ON THE SUBJECT OF A DIRECT AIR LINK WITH
HÔNG KONG, THE SECRETARY OF STATE REPLIED:
QUOTE THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THIS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN ANY
AIR ARRANGEMENT THAT IS MADE. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A LOOK AT
THE WHOLE OF THIS PROBLEM OF COMMUNICATIONS UNQUOTE.
SINO/BRITISH RELATIONS,
25. ASKED ABOUT THE REFERENCE IN HIS SPEECH AT THE BANQUET GIVEN
BY THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER TO QUOTE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION
UNQUOTE, THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID:
-5-
/QUOTE THERE
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