GRC 700 PRIORITY
QYPHER CAT A
FM CANBERRA Ø505552
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 184/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
8 AUG 1978
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REG:#TRY Action Tyken
AS
TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 391 OF 5 AUGUST
CLE
463
PA
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG (GOVERNOR AND BCARFE), WELLINGTON, DELHI, SINGAPORE, KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA, BANGKOK, WASHINGTON, MANILA,
BAHRAIN, PARIS, BONN, ROME, THE HAGUE, VIENNA, BELGRADE, JOHANNESBURG ATHENS, OTTAWA
MIPT:UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES TALKS
1. ON 4 AUGUST ROGERS HAD A LONG DISCUSSION WITH MR NIXON AT WHICH NO AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS WERE PRESENT.
2. MR NIXON EXPRESSED HIS APPRECIATION THAT THE UK TEAM HAD COME
TO CANBERRA AT SUCH SHORT NOTICE AND DESPITE THEIR OTHER COMMITMENTS. HE SAID HE WAS UNDER VERY CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT AND THAT ALTHOUGH HE HAD SO FAR SUCCEEDED IN FENDING THIS OFF THE PRESSURES WOULD INTENSIFY WHEN PARLIAMENT REASSEMBLED
ON 14 AUGUST.
о
Q
3. HE WOULD NEED TO OBTAIN THE CONCURRENCE OF HIS COLLEAGUES BEFORE APPROACHING THIRD COUNTRIES AND IN THIS CONNEXION HE WAS TROUBLED BY THE WORDING OF THE THIRD PARAGRAPH OF OUR STATEMENT (YOUR TELNO 371). ROGERS RESPONDED THAT WE HAD BEEN CAREFUL NOT TO SAY THAT THE CONCURRENCE OF THE MID-POINT COUNTRIES WAS ESSENTIAL. WE RECOGNISED THAT SINGAPORE WOULD NONOT WILLING ACCEPT, ON THE OTHER HAND, IF ASEAN COUNTRIES WERE TO GANG UP AGAINST THE SCHEME (IN PARTICULAR IF INDONESIA WERE TO STOP OVER FLIGHTS BY AUSTRALIAN AND BRITISH AIRCRAFT) OR IF IT WERE TO DEVLOP INTO A QUOTE NORTH- SOUTH UNQUOTE CONFRONTATION, HE THOUGHT NEITHER AUSTRALIA NOR THE UK WOULD WISH TO GO AHEAD, THE WORDING OF THE PARAGRAPH TO WHICH MR NIXON HAD REFERRED ALSO COVERED THE POSSIBLITY THAT BOTH COUNTRIES MIGHT WISH TO INTRODUCE MODIFICATIONS INTO THE SCHEME IN THE LIGHT OF REASONED COMMENTS BY THIRD COUNTRIES.
4. MR NIXON ACCEPTED THAT THIS WAS REASONABLE BUT ASKED WHETHER WE HAD REASON TO SUPPOSE THAT THERE WOULD BE VIOLENT REACTIONS FROM THE COUNTRIES CONCERNED. HAD WE, FOR EXAMPLE, RECEIVED REPRESENTATIONS FROM THEM OF WHICH THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WAS UNAWARE? ROGERS REPLIED THAT WE HAD NOT: ON THE CONTRARY SUCH INDICATIONS AS WERE AVAILABLE (INCLUDING THE COMMENTS BY THAI
CONFIDENTIAL
/ INTERNATIONAL