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GRS 386
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
RAINTY
FM CANBERRA 170239Z MAY 79
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 233 OF 17 MAY
НКК18411
1 8 MAY 1979
INDEY
NO. 1
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247
INFO PRIORITY PEKING (FOR ROGERS), MANĪLA.
INFO ROUTINE KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, HONG KONG (GOVERNOR AND BCARFE), WELLINGTON.
RY TELEGRAM NUMBER 230: UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES
1. HALTON GAVE DUDGEON THE PROMISED BRIEFING THIS MORNING. ROWLAND WAS ALSO PRESENT. AFTER THE LONG WAIT, THE UPSHOT WAS RATHER DISAPPOINTING AS HALTON'S ACCOUNT OF THE KUALA LUMPUR MEETING WAS PRIMARILY ATMOSPHERIC AND ADDED LITTLE ON THE SUBSTANCE TO WHAT WE HAD ALREADY BEEN TOLD BY RAINBIRD (MY TELEGRAM NUMBER 225). THE MAIN DIFFERENCE WAS THAT HALTON, CONTRARY TO RAINBIRD'S VERSION IN PARAGRAPH 1 OF THAT TELEGRAM, SAID THAT THE ASEAN DELEGATIONS HAD BEEN WELL DISCIPLINED AND THE LEADERS OF HIGH QUALITY. APART FROM ONE MINOR INCIDENT TOWARDS THE END OF THE MEETING THEY HAD CONCEALED ANY DIFFERENCES AMONG THEMSELVES FROM THE AUSTRALIANS AND HAD PURSUED ANY PARTICULAR NATIONAL LINE FULLY WITHIN THE OVERALL ASEAN POSITION. HALTON CONFIRMED THAT THE ASEANS HAD MADE IT PLAIM THAT IN FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WITH EUROPEAN COUNTRIES THE ASEANS WISHED TO STAND ON THEIR OWN FEET AND EXPECTED NO HELP (?NO INTERFERENCE) FROM THE AUSTRALIANS.
2. ROWLAND, SUPPORTED BY HALTON, FIRMLY MAINTAINED RAINBIRD'S LINE ON THE STOP-OVER SURCHARGE (PARAGRAPH 7 OF MY TELEGRAM NUMBER 225) WHICH YOU QUERIED IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 149. INDEED HALTON SUGGESTED THAT THE ASEANS MIGHT, ON REFLECTION, BE OPEN TO UPWARD NEGOTIATION OF THE STOP-OVER SURCHARGE SINCE THE PRESENT LOW FIGURE WOULD MEAN A LOSS OF AIR-LINE REVENUE.
3. HALTON SAID THAT THE SINGAPOREANS WERE CRITICISING THE ICAP SYSTEM
AT THE UNCTAD MEETING IN MANILA AND MIGHT INTRODUCE A HOSTILE RESOLUTION. HE HOPED THAT AUSTRALIANS MIGHT LOOK FOR BRITISH SUPPORT IN DEFENDING THE SYSTEM ON THE GROUND THAT IT WAS NOT PROTECTIONIST
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