287
GR 200
CONFIDENTIAL
MF CO 261800Z JUN 79
TO PRIORITY CANBERRA
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK.184/1
2 8 JUN 1979,
PA
TELEGRAM NUMBER 263 OF. 26 JUNE
INFO PRIORITY SINGAPORE, KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK-MANILA, JAKARTA, HONG KONG AND WELLINGTON.
YOUR TELNO 340: UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES.
See (296
1. PLEASE FIND OUT WHAT THE AUSTRALIANS EXPECT TO DO NEXT WITH
ASEAN. DO THEY THINK THE PROPOSED ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING IN EARLY JULY, TO WHICH PEACOCK IS INVITED, WILL BE A REPEAT OF THE JAKARTA MEETING IN MARCH WHICH NIXON ATTENDED? PLEASE ALSO MAKE THE
FOLLOWING POINTS:-
A) IF THE JULY MEETING GETS NOWHERE WE THINK UK AND AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS WILL PROBABLY NEED TO MEET TO DECIDE NEXT STEPS.
B) WE HOPE THAT AUSTRALIANS WILL NOT MAKE FURTHER CONCESSIONS TO ASEAN BEFORE WE HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS ON B A.
MOREOVER MINISTERS HERE WILL NEED TO CONSIDER IMPLICATIONS OF
GIVING FOREIGN AIRLINES TRAFFIC IN WHICH LAKER HAS A STRONG CONTINUING INTEREST, HAVING RENEWED HIS APPLICATION TO OPERATE ABCS
TO AUSTRALIA.
2. PLEASE PRESS THE AUSTRALIANS ON THE URGENT QUESTION OF HONG KONG/AUSTRALIA FARES. WE AGREED TO AUSTRALIAN REQUESTS TO STALL ON
THIS UNTIL AFTER THE KUALA LUMPUR MEETING NEARLY TWO MONTHS AGO. CPA HAS FILED THE CPA/QANTAS AGREED PACKAGE WITH THE CAA HERE (DOT TEL ALLOT 12 OF 17 MAY) AND THE LATTER ARE BECOMING
INCREASINGLY RELUCTANT TO DELAY ACTION ON THIS FURTHER, WE TOO
HAVE HAD NO REPORT ON THE INTER-AIRLINE MEETING HELD IN KUALA
LUMPUR LAST WEEK (YOUR TELNO 348 OF 22 JUNE). CAN AUSTRALIA NOW
AGREE TO THE EARLY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW HONG KONG/AUSTRALIA
FARES?
3. GRATEFUL FOR EARLY REPLY.
CARRINGTON
FILES
MAED
SEAD SPD
[COPIES SENT TO CAD/DOT]
HK & GD MR.CORTAZZI
MISS BROWN
MR.MURRAY
CONFIDENTIAL
३
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