PRIORITY
EN CLAIR
GPS 325
FM HONG KONG
UNCLASSIFIED
-WH IN
$1
K173
11-XK(21/4
82
LA
тор сосу
30.4
TO PRIORITY FCO TEL NO EXCED 20 OF 30 MARCH 1973
FOR COTTERILL FROM ASTON
REPEATED SEPARATELY TO DTI FOR WATSON (OPG) AND MISS WELCH CRE2
AND TO FCO FOR STUART (HKIOD) AND FINLAYSON (EPD)
M.T.S.
ACCORDING TO JONES TIMETABLE FOR SECOND ROUND OF TALKS IS
SLIPPING. AS INDICATED IN MY EXCED 17 AND MY NUMBERED EXCED OF
29 MARCH NEITHER ITALIANS NOR ANGLO FRANCO GERMANS WISH TO GO IN
EARLY NEXT TIME - BOTH WANT TO BE LAST. JAPANESE HAVE SAID THEY
COULD BE READY IN THE LAST WEEK OF APRIL.
2..
HADDON-CAVE HAS ACCORDINGLY BEGUN TO PENCIL IN A PROGRAM ME
WHICH ENVISAGES THAT BRITISH GROUP WOULD COME ON 7 MAY, EITHER
THE ITALIANS OR A F G WOULD BE AT THE END OF THAT WEEK, THE OTHER
ONE WOULD BE AT THE END OF THE PRECEDING WEEK AND THE JAPANESE
ON 30 APRIL.
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3. HE IS SAID TO BE RESISTING PRESSURE FROM THE CONSORTIA
TO POSTFONE EVEN LONGER IN ORDER TO GIVE TIME TO PREPARE A PRICE
RECAUSE EXCO PAPER HAS THEN TO BE DRAFTED AND MUST BE SUBMITTED
DURING MAY,
4.
HADDON-CAVE'S PRESENT INTENTION STILL SEEMS TO BE TO GO ON
LEAVE ON 1 MAY. IN THAT EVENT SECOND ROUND OF DISCUSSIONS WOULD,
PRESUMABLY, BE CHAIRED BY JONES, I WILL TRY TO GET SOME FURTHER
INDICATIONS OF HADDON-CAVE'S INTENTIONS ON THIS CURING THE WECK-END
AND PROPOSE TO BRIEF MASON AND, IF POSSIBLE, THE SECRETARY OF
STATE TO ENCOURAGE THE IDEA THAT MAJOR DECISION IN PRINCIPLE
SHOULD BE TAKEN BEFORE HADDON-CAVE GOES ON LEAVE.
/5. JAPANESE APPEAR