1425990
RETRICTED
RESTRICTED
HKKI
84/1
513
51
FM PEKING 390790Z NOV 79
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1929 OF 30 NOVEMBER
INDEX
- 3 DEC 1979
INFO PRIORITY UKREP ICAO MONTREAL, HONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR AND BCARFE), ROUTINE BANGKOK, PARIS, BONN, ROME, WASHINGTON SAVING TO HANOI (BANGKOK PLEASE PASS).
·P.A
See MY TELNO.1015 (NOW REPEATED. SAVING TO HANOI): CAAC NOTAM 19: AMBER ONE.
1.
HARD ON THE HEELS OF OUR REPRESENTATIONS TO CAAC, WE
HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF A STATEMENT ISSUED IN HANOI ON 28
NOVEMBER ATTACKING CHINA'S DECLARATION OF DANGER ZONES AND
THE ADVANCEMENT BY CHINA OF A NUMBER OF STIPULATIONS'' ON
CIVIL AVIATION, WHICH ARE SAID TO BE INTENDED TO LEGALISE
CHINA'S OCCUPATION OF THE HOANG SA ISLANDS. THE STATEMENT
CONCLUDES: ''ANY STIPULATION BY A FOREIGN COUNTRY, ANY AGREEMENT OF THAT COUNTRY WITH A THIRD COUNTRY, INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS OR
FOREIGN COMPANIES DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATING TO VIETNAM'S
3OVEREIGNTY OVER HOANG SA AND TRUNOG SA ISLANDS - WHETHER ON THE GROUND, IN THE AIR, ON THE SEA, THE SEA BED OR MARITIME SUBSOIL - IS ILLEGAL AND ABSOLUTELY INVALID.''
2.
WHATEVER CHINA'S MOTĪVES MAY HAVE BEEN IN SEEKING A RE- ALIGNMENT OF AMBER ONE, THIS VIETNAMESE REACTION IS PREDICT-
ABLE AND MUST INCREASE DOUBT AS TO WHETHER A RE-ALIGNED AMBER
ONE WOULD BE VIABLE, IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHINESE
WE HAVE CONFINED OURSELVES TO THE PRACTICAL REASONS FOR
REOPENING AMBER ONE AS AT PRESENT DELINEATED: THEY WOULD HARDLY
BE RESPONSIVE TO ARGUMENTS BASED ON DISPUTED SOVEREIGNTY OVER
THE ISLANDS.
BANGKOK PLEASE SAVING TO HANOI.
CRADOCK
FILES
MAED
SEAD
FED
WED
NAD
EID
LORD.N.G. LENNOX. MR FERGUSSON MR FRET WELL
HRAYD
MISS
MAR MURRAY [COPIES SENTIO]
RESTRICTED
COPIES TO' MIR WAINWRIGHT,
OSOI, CAA AVIATION HOUSE