346
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COMIDENTIAL
DESKBY 3122302
CONFIDENTIAL
FROM FCO 311654Z JUL 79
TO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA
TELEGRAM NUMBER 361 OF 31 JULY
11407
HACK 184/1 Rok
PA
353
18.
AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (GOVERNOR AND BCARFE), See/359
OUR TELNO 357: UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES.
1. AT HIS REQUEST HOLMES OF AUSTRALIAN. HIGH COMMISSION CALLED
ON ROBERTS, DOT TODAY, IN CONNECTION WITH THE CPA FILING OF THE
FARES PACKAGE HONG KONG-AUSTRALIA. HE SAID THAT WHILST CANBERRA
WAS PREPARED TO GO ALONG WITH THE FILING IN GENERAL THERE WERE ONE
OR TWO QUOTE TECHNICAL ASPECTS UNQUOTE ON WHICH THEY WOULD NEED
TO SEEK CLARIFICATION. THEY PROPOSED TO DO THIS WHEN THEY HAD
COMPLETED THEIR EXAMINATION OF THE FILING THROUGH HOLMES IN LONDON.
2. IN ADDITION TO THAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD LIKE TIME TO INFORM THE
ASEAN COUNTRIES OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE THE NEW PACKAGE BEFORE
THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE, SO AS TO ALLOW THOSE ASEAN NATIONS, WHO WERE LIKE-MINDED, TO PROCEED WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW LOW FARES BETWEEN THE NATIONS CONCERNED TO AUSTRALIA. FOR BOTH
THESE REASONS THEREFORE THEY SOUGHT OUR AGREEMENT TO A POSTPONEMENT
OF THE PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION DATE FROM 3 AUGUST TO SOME TIME
TOWARDS THE END OF AUGUST, WHICH THEY SAID WOULD STILL BE TIME ENOUGH TO CATCH THE PEAK PERIOD OUT OF AUSTRALIA.
3. ROBERTS SAID THAT HE WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT AGREEING TO ANY REQUEST
FOR DELAY SINCE SO MUCH TIME HAD ELAPSED SINCE WE FIRST INTIMATED
TO THE AUSTRALIANS THAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR EARLY IMPLEMENTATION.
IF THERE WERE TECHNICAL ASPECTS TO THE FILING THAT NEEDED CLARIFI-
CATION HE HOPED THAT THIS COULD BE DEALT WITH WITH THE MINIMUM OF
DELAY AND HE SUGGESTED TO HOLMES THAT IT WOULD EXPEDITE MATTERS IF CANBERRA WOULD COPY TO HONG KONG DCA (VIA OUR HIGH COMMISSION)
ANY QUESTIONS ON TECHNICAL ASPECTS FED THROUGH HOLMES TO DOT.
SO FAR AS INFORMING THE ASEAN NATIONS IN ADVANCE OF ANY ANNOUNCEMENT
WAS CONCERNED HE ACCEPTED THAT THIS WAS A REASONABLE REQUEST ON CONDITION (A) THAT IT WAS INFORMING THEM OF A DECISION TO PROCEED AND NOT CONSULTING THEM AND (B) THAT IT WOULD BE DONE IN PARALLEL
WITH THE CLARIFICATION OF THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS.
CONFIDENTIAL
14.