NFIDENTIAL
DESKBY Ø50200 Z
FM CANBERRA 040680Z FEB 79
TO IMEDIATE KUALA LUMPUR
CONFIDENTIAL
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TELEGRAM NUMBER 92 OF 4 FEBRUARY
INFO FCO, SINGAPORE, MANILA, JAKARTA, BANGKOK, HONG KONG (GOVERNOR
ANS BCARFE), WELLINGTON.
199
WELLINGTON TEL TO CANBERRA NUMBER 4:
UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES.
1. ATTEWELL SPOKE TO ROWLAND ON 3 FEBRUARY WHO CONSULTED DFA AND RANG BACK TODAY. ROWLAND WELL UNDERSTOOD THE PROBLEM AND WAS GRATEFUL TO BE CONSULTED. AS YET THE ASEAN COUNTRIES HAD NOT REPLIED TO THE AUSTRALIAN PROPOSAL OF A MEETING. ROWLAND THOUGHT IT POSSIBLE THAT THE MALAYSIANS MIGHT BE SENSITIVE ABOUT DISCUSSING THE STOPOVER QUESTION BILATERALLY WITH THE UK GIVEN THE CRITICISM SINGAPORE HAD RUN INTO ON THIS SCORE. HOWEVER, HE JUDGED THE MALAY- SIANS' ACTURAL CURIOSITY WOULD WEIGH HEAVIER.
2. ROWLAND SAID THE AUSTRALIANS WOULD BE CONTENT FOR ROGERS TO PROCEED AS IN PARA 3 AND 4 OF TUR. HE SHARED ROGERS' AIM OF NOT PRESENTING THE QUOTE IDEAS AND WORKING HYPOTHESIS UNQUOTE IN A WAY WHICH APPEARED CUT AND DRIED. THE AUSTRALIANS WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ANYTHING ROGERS COULD DO TO TRY TO ENSURE THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THAT PART OF HIS DISCUSSION. ROWLAND ECHOED ROGERS' MISGIVINGS ABOUT THE RISK THAT THE SINGAPOREANS MIGHT LEARN OF THE IDEAS AND THE PREFERED ALTERNATIVE AND THEN, SINCE THE LATTER WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH FOR THEM, WHIP UP ASEAN OPPOSITION IN ADVANCE OF THE PROPOSED AUSTRALIAN/ASEAN MEETING. IF THIS HAPPENES THE AUSTRALIANS WOULD BE IN A DIFFICULT POSITION SINCE THEIR MAIN CARD WOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DISCLOSED. THEIR PROBLEMS WOULD BE EXACERBATED IF THE MEETING WERE TO BE HELD AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL, WHICH WE GATHER IS THE PREFER- ENCE OF ONE ASEAN COUNTRY (PRESUMABLY SINGAPORE).
3. ROWLAND ENDED BY SAYING THAT HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT ROGERS WOULD HANDLE THE DISCUSSIONS WITH HIS USUAL SKILL. HE WOULD BE GLAD
IF ROGERS COULD LET HIM KNOW HOW THE STOPOVER DISCUSSIONS GO
AND HOW HE INTERPRETS THE MALAYSIANS' ATTITUDE.
FCO PSE PASS ALL,
TEBBIT
[REPEATED AS REQUESTED]
!
FILES
MAED
SPD
HK & GD
SEAD NEWS D OID
MR BUTLER
!
MISS BROWN MR MURRAY
CONFIDENTIAL
COPIES TO
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT