f
GR 430
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL ·
HKCK 184/1
DESKBY 397839Z
JAN
No
FM JAKARTA 300608Z JAN 79
Агора
TO IMMDEIATE F C O
TELNO 41 OF 30 JANUARY
AND TO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE AND CANBERRA
1.
INFO ROUTINE TO BANGKOK KUALA LUMPUR MANILA HONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR AND BCARFE) AND WELLINGTON
YOUR TELNO 50 TO CANBERRA: UK/AUSTRALIAN AIR SERVICES.
1. THE UK AHS SO FAR BEEN ABLE TO REMAIN IN THE BACKGROUND HERE ON
THIS SUBJECT. MINISTERS AND THE PRESS HAVE CONSISTENTLY REFERRED
TO THE 'AUSTRALIAN POLICY'' FOR CHEAP FARES BETWEEN AUSTRALIA
AND THE UK. ALTHOUGH BRITISH INTEREST IN MAKING THE SCHEME WORK
IS RECOGNISED, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN CREDIT BY THE PRESS FOR SENSITIVITY TO ASEAN'S CONCERNS, PARTICULARLY STOPOVER FARES. I SEE NO REPEAT NO ADVANTAGE IN OUR NOW ATTEMPTING TO PLAY A LARGER ROLE UNLESS
THERE WERE SOME SIGN. THAT THE ASEAN STATES OTHER THAN SINGAPORE HAD
BEGUN TO REASSESS THEIR POSITION IN TERMS OF THEIR CIVIL AVIATION
INTERESTS. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE NO EVIDENCE THAT THE INDONESIANS
WILL MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION AT PRESENT. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY HAVE
TAKEN UP A POLITICAL POSITION BASED ON ASEAN SOLIDARITY WHICY THEY
WILL BE RELUCTANT TO ABANDON WITHOUT A LEAD FROM SINGAPORE,,
MOREOVER THE DIRECTORATE-GENERAL OF AIR COMMUNICATIONS AND GARUDA, WHO ALONE UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITIES OF AIR SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS,
AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH INDONESIA'S INTERESTS IN THIS FIELD DIVERGE
FROM THOSE OF SINGAPORE, HAVE NOT RECENTLY PLAYED ANY PART
1
IN FORMULATING INDONESIAN POLICY. KARDONO AND RISAKOTTA SEEM TO HAVE DECIDED TO LIE LOW, AND SENT A VERY JUNIOR OFFICIAL TO THE 8 11 JANUARY MEETING IN CANBERRA, THEY HAVE SPENT THE LAST WEEK IN
TOKYO NEGOTIATING WITH THE JAPANESE,
CONFIDENTIAL
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