00 700
CANDERRA
DO HONG KONG
00 JAKARTA
CO BANGKOK .
GR 220
CONFIDENTIAL
FM SINGAPORE 980930Z DEC 78
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TEL NO 397 OF 8 DEC
721
IMMEDIATE ADVANCE COPY
HA. MARD (FILES), Hal. SEAD
Madangan
HER 18411
RECLIVE?
Hol. SwPD he. Here
Min Brown
NO. 51
CAD/DOT (3)
073
* OFFICER
R.c. (9x)
INDEX
PA
REGISTY Action Token
AND TO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA
INFO IMMEDIATE KUALA LUMPUR, HONG KONG FOR GOVERNOR AND BCARFE, JAKARTA, BANGKOK, MANILA,
120-YOUR TELNO 598 TO CANBERRA:
UK/AUSTRALIAN AIR SERVICES
1. 1 ASKED MY AUSTRALIAN COLLEAGUE HOW THESE TALKS WERE GOING WHEN WE MET THIS MORNING AT A REGULAR MEETING OF THE UK, AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND HIGH COMMISSIONERS HERE AND IN KUALA LUMPUR. HE SAID HE WAS NOT UP TO DATE AS HE HAD NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE RAINBIRD AFTER THE TALKS HAD ENDED AT 3.33 AM THIS MORNING. BUT HE DID NOT FEEL THAT THEY HAD COME TO GRIPS. AFTER THE AUSTRALIAN EXPOSITION, THE SINGAPORE SIDE HAD PUT A SERIES OF QUESTIONS. THE AUSTRALIANS HAD SUPPLIED ANSWERS AND HAD THEN BEEN FACED WITH A FURTHER SET OF QUESTIONS WHICH THEY HAD SOUGHT TO ANSWER IN THE FINAL SESSION.
2.
PRICE FELT THE TALKS WERE STILL AT AN EXPLORATORY STAGE AND THAT THEY WOULD REACH NO FIRM OUTCOME. THE SINGAPOREANS WERE TREATING THIS AS AN ASEAN ISSUE, AND AUSTRALIANS WOULD NEXT HAVE TO FACE DISCUSSION IN THAT FORUM.
3. I ARRANGED TO SEE PRICE TOMORROW 9 DECEMBER, WHEN HE HAS FROMISED ME A FULL RUN-DOWN ON THE TALKS. I WILL TELEGRAPH A REPORT TO BE WITH YOU ON 19 DECEMBER, BEFORE ROGERS SEES PILLAY AND LIM, I MUST CONFESS TO SOME SURPRISE AT THIS DEVELOPMENT, OF WHICH I HAVE BEEN GIVEN NO INKLING DESPITE THE SUBJECT'S HIGHLY POLITICAL OVERTONES,