CONFIDENTIAL
IF YOU CONSIDER THAT (C) WOULD BE THE MOST LIKELY TO PRODUCE RESULTS, PLEASE SUGGEST WHICH STATE OR GROUP OF STATES MIGHT
ASKED TO ACT BEARING IN MIND OUR OWN RELATIONS WITH THEM AND
THEIR LEVEL OF INFLUENCE ON YOUR HOST GOVERNMENT.
3. THE OBJECT OF THE EXERCISE IS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SAFE
HAVENS TO A POINT WHERE HIJACKERS MIGHT HESITATE TO HIJACK A PLANE
AT ALL, BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT BE SURE OF FINDING ANYWHERE TO TAKE
REFUGE WHERE THEY WOULD BE SAFE FROM PROSECUTION OR EXTRADITION.
IF YOU CONSIDER THAT THE GOVERNMENT TO WHICH YOU ARE ACCREDITED
WOULD NOT BE PREPARED TO ACCEDE TO THE CONVENTIONS BUT MIGHT BE
PREPARED TO MAKE SOME CONVINCING DECLARATION THAT ANY HIJACKERS
SEEKING TO TAKE REFUGE THERE WOULD AT LEAST BE PROSECUTED, IF NOT EXTRADITED, COULD YOU THINK OF HOW AND WHERE SUCH A DECLARATION COULD BE ENGINEERED. IT MAY ALREADY HAVE OCCURRED TO GOVERNMENTS
CONCERNED THAT AS THE NUMBER OF LIKELY HAVENS HAS DECREASED, (ADEN, MOGADISHU), THE ONES THAT ARE LEFT MAY FIND THEMSELVES
GETTING AN EMBARRASSING NUMBER OF VISITORS,
4. THIS TELEGRAM IS BEING SENT FOR INFORMATION TO ALL POSTS WHERE (ACCORDING TO OUR RECORDS) GOVERNMENTS HAVE NOT YET RATIFIED ALL
THREE CONVENTIONS, BUT WHERE WE HAVE NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT
HIJACKERS WOULD EXPECT TO FIND A HAVEN. INFORMATION ADDRESSEES
ARE NOT REQUIRED TO TAKE ANY ACTION, BUT WE SHOULD BE INTERESTED
TO KNOW IF AND WHEN THERE IS ANY SIGN OF PROGRESS TOWARDS RATIFYING
THE CONVENTIONS, AND PARTICULARLY THE HAGUE CONVENTION OF 1970 WHICH
SPECIFICALLY COVERS HIJACKING.
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