FIDEN MAL
HKK 184/1
GRS 830
CONFIDENTIAL
PAY
FM CANBERRA 2378307 JAN 79
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
M
Jeali
TELEGRAM NUMBER 53 OF 23 JANUARY
INFO PRIORITY SINGAPORE KUALA LUMPUR JAKARTA BANGKOK MANILA HONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR AND BCARFE) WELLINGTON
Sea (67
SINGAPORE TELNO 36: UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS
JAN
1. DISCUSSIONS COMMENCED HERE ON 22 JANUARY. AS BEFORE THE TEAMS WERE LED BY ROWLAND (DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT) AND ROGERS (DEPARTMENT OF TRADE). THE MORNING SESSION WAS CONFINED TO GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES, WHILE REPRESENTATIVES OF BRITISH AIRWAYS AND QANTAS JOINED IN DURING THE AFTERNOON.
2. ROGERS SAID THAT HE HAD HOPED IN TH COURSE OF THIS WEEK TO RESOLVE ALL OUTSTANDING ISSUES AND TO COMPLETE THE DOCUMENTATION CONNECTED WITH THE CHANGED AIR SERVICES ARRANGEMENTS. HE DOUBTED WHETHER IN THE LIGHT OF THE DISAPPOINT~ INGLY SMALL PROGRESS DURING HIS VISIT TO SINGAPORE THE PREVIOUS WEEK IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO COVER ALL THE GROUND, BUT HE WISHED TO GO AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. THE PRINCIPAL OUTSTANDING ISSUES OF SUBSTANCE WERE:
3.
B.
A. FARES (PARTICULARLY STOPOVER AND SECTOR FARES),
SERVICES BETWEEN HONG KONG AND POINTS ON THE EAST AND WEST COASTS OF AUSTRALIA AND THEIR RELATION WITH THE COMPLEX OF PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ASEAN COUNTRIES, AND
C. THE POSSIBILITY OF INCORPORATING A MODEST CHARTER OPERATION ON THE TRUNK ROUTE.
AS BEFORE THE DISCUSSIONS HAVE BEEN RELAXED AND INFORMAL. THE AUSTRALIANS SHOWED THEMSELVES SENSITIVE TO THE ASEAN PROBLEMS AND WERE WILLING TO EXPLORE ALL POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
TO THEM.
4.
ROWLAND GAVE AN ACCOUNT OF THE MEETING WITH THE ASEAN COUNTRIES THE PREVIOUS WEEK. HE SAID THAT THE MEETING HAD GONE
CONFIDENTAL
/BETTER