184/1.
HKK 02
O
CONFIDE TERENCE
2074
30.51
487
CONFIDENTIAL
SINGAPORE 4859422
TO PRIORITY FCO
TEL NO, 192 OF 8 JUNE 1979.
AND TO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR, CANBERRA.
REPEATED TO BCARFE HONGKONG.
INDEX
PA
No
ра
MY TEL NO. 188 (NOT TO CANBERRA), VISIT OF MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE.
1. IN TALKING TO MR PARKINSON, GOH CHOK TONG ALSO MADE A LOW RIN REFERENCE TO THE SURSTANCE OF THE ICAP 10SCUE SAYING THAT HE DID NOT THINK ASEAN ECONOMIC MINISTERS WOULD APPROVE THE PACKAGE DEVELOPED BY OFFICIALS AT KUALA LUMPUR AS IT STOOD, SPECIFICALLY THE PROPOSAL THAT STOPOVER PASSENGERS MUST TRAVEL BY CANTAS OR BA ON THE NON-STOPOVER LEG OF THEIR JOURNEY WAS OBJECTIONABLE. THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE FURTHER TALKS WITH THE AUSTRALIANS WHO WOULD HAVE TO MAKE FURTHER CONCESSIONS, BUT HE WAS REASONABLY CONFIDENT THAT IN TIME A COMPROMISE PACKAGE WOULD EMERGE, HE ASSUMED THAT AS WE WERE IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE AUSTRALIANS WE WOULD FIND LITTLE DIFFICULTY IN ACCEPTING WHATEVER PACKAGE THE ASEAN COUNTRIES MIGHT WORK OUT WITH THE AUSTRALIANS..
2. MR PARKINSON SAID WE WERE ANXIOUS TO TALK TO SINGAPORE ABOUT ICAP AND AIR SERVICES GENERALLY WHENEVER THEY WERE READY TO TAL TO US (HE TOOK THE SAME LINE WITH THE PRESS). COMMENTED THAT,
| WHILE GON'S ASSUMPTION MIGHT BE VALID IN THE MAIN, THE AUSTRALIANS COULD NOT MEGOTIATE FOR US AND WE WOULD NEED TO SETTLE CAPACITIES AND FARE STRUCTURES ON THE SINGAPORE/LONDON SECTOR IN DIRECT BILATERAL DISCUSSIONS. (WE WERE CONCERNED, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THE BREAKDOWN OF ANY ICAP STOP - OVER FARE SHOULD ASCRIBE A REASONABLE PROPORTION OF THAT FARE TO THE SINGAPORE/LONDON SEDTOR. GOH ACCEPTED THIS.
CONFIDENTIAL
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