JAPANESE HAVE ASKED FOR DATE TOWARDS END OF MARCH AND
**GERMANS'' (PRESUMABLY FRANCO-GERMANS) FOR DATE IN LATTER PART
F MARCH, ITALIANS HAVE MADE NO DID YET.
I CONSIDERED WHETHER TO TRY TO GET A LATER DATE FOR US BUT
THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT SINCE WE HAD ALREADY PUT IN A TENT- ATIVE BID ON SATURDAY IN ORDER TO AVOID (WE HOPED) BEING ELBOWED
TO THE FRONT OF THE QUEUE. IN VIEW OF PROGRAMME AND PROCEDURE
ENVISAGED BELOW IT DOES NOT SEEM TO MATTER WHETHER WE ARE FIRST
OR LAST.
NEITHER HADDON CAVE NOR STEERING GROUP HAVE YET THOUGHT
PRECISELY HOW THEY PLAN TO PROCEED, A MEETING OF THE STEERING GROUP HAS BEEN ARRANGED FOR AFTER THE BUDGET, I E EARLY IN MARCH, TO WORK
OUT THE LOGISTICS AND TACTICS.
HIS PRESENT IDEA IS TO HAVE THREE OR FOUR DAYS WITH EACH GROUP FOR A FIRST ROUND OF TALKS HAVING TWO SESSIONS A DAY AND THEN
SECOND ROUND WITH EACH GROUP POSSIBLY LASTING ANOTHER THREE
CR FOUR DAYS, THEREAFTER THERE MAY BE A THIRD ROUND, TO
FOUND UP: THIS MIGHT ONLY TAKE A DAY OR COULD EVEN BE CONDUCTED BY CORRESPONDENCE. HE IS HOWEVER CLEAR THAT THERE WILL BE A SECOND
ROUND.
ON THIS BASIS THE UK TEAM WOULD BE 'IN'* FROM 19 TO 22 MARCH AND AGAIN EARLY IN APRIL. HADDON-CAVE CONCURS THIS ESTIMATE OF THE TIMING, SPECIFICALLY HE AGREES THAT UK TEAM SHOULD BE PREPARED TO BE HERE FOR 19 MARCH FOR FIRST ROUND.
BROAD APPRACH IS TO GIVE EACH GROUP AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LAST WORD WITH EACH KNOWING WHAT THE OTHERS HAVE PROPOSED, CUT TIMING AND EXTENT OF RELEASE OF THIS INFORMATION WILL BE DETERMINED BY HONG KONG SIDE SOLELY IN THEIR OWN BARGAINING INTERESTS
HE RECOGNISES THIS TIMETABLE WILL MEAN FURTHER SUBMISSIONS TO EXCO (RECOMMENDING METHOD OF PROCEEDING AND, AS APPROPRIATE, THE CHOSEN GROUP) WILL HAVE TO BE IN MAY RATHER THAN IN APRIL DUT THIS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN TACITLY ACCEPTED.
NEVERTHELESS INTENTION IS STILL TO MAKE DECISION AND START NEGOTIATING CONTRACTS BY JUNE WITH THE VIEW TO STARTING CONSTRUCTION
IN JANUARY 1974.
CONSULTANTS ETC ARE DOING A CONSIDERADLE AMOUNT OF PREP- PARATORY WORK TO ENSURE THAT EVEN IF DECISION WERE IN FAVOUS OF MULTI CONTRACTS THESE COULD BE STARTED BY JANUARY 1974. IT
IS ACCEPTED THAT IF DECISION IS FOR A CONSORTIUM MUCH OF THIS PREP- ARATORY WORK WILL HAVE BEEN NUGATORY EXPENDITURE,