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GRS 750
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM STOCKHOLM 23133OZ NOV 83
TO ROUTINE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 278 OF 23 NOVEMBER 1983
VISIT OF SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER TO LONDON.
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1. MR LENNART BODSTROM LOOKS ON HIS LUNCHEON AND TALK WITH YOU
ON 1 DECEMBER AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A FRIENDLY TOUR D'HORIZON
WITH NO SPECIAL OBJECTIVES. I THINK YOU SHOULD FIND HIM COMPETENT
AND VERSATILE WITH A SENSE OF HUMOUR EMERGING SURPRISINGLY OFTEN.
HE UNDERSTANDS AND SPEAKS ENGLISH FLUENTLY. BUT WHEN NERVOUS
OR IN A NEW SITUATION HE TENDS SOMETIMES TO BE STIFF, SLOW-
TALKING AND CAUTIOUS UNTIL HE HAS WORKED HIMSELF IN. HIS TV
PERFORMANCES ARE PATCHY.
2. HE MIGHT BE RELIEVED IF YOU WERE TO START THE TALKS GOING,
PERHAPS WITH A COMMENT ON HOW YOU VIEW THE SUPER-POWER RELATIONSHIP, LEADING TO US RELATIONSHIPS WITH EUROPE, ON WHICH
I WOULD EXPECT BODSTROM TO LISTEN APPRECIATELY BUT NOT TO
COMMENT OVER-MUCH. THIS MIGHT LEAD NATURALLY TO INF DEPLOYMENT
(ON WHICH IT WOULD BE VALUABLE IF YOU WERE TO REPEAT OUR POSITION),
AND THENCE TO THE CDE OPENING IN STOCKHOLM ON 17 JANUARY, THOUGH
WITHOUT IMPLYING ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO.
3. IN SWEDISH/SOVIET BILATERAL RELATIONS THERE IS STILL A HIATUS.
WE ARE APPROACHING THE CLOSE SEASON FOR SUBMARINES AND THE SWEDES
ARE DUBIOUS ANYWAY ABOUT SOME OF THE REPORTS OF SUBMARINE ACTIVITY
LAST SUMMER, BUT THEY ARE IN NO HURRY TO THICKEN UP THE RELATION-
SHIP AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. SOVIET ASSURANCES OF GOODWILL AND RESPECT FOR SWEDISH TERRITORIAL WATERS' INTEGRITY HAVE BEEN NOTED BUT NOT YET TAKEN AT FACE VALUE. IF, AS THEY HOPE, GROMYKO COMES TO THE OPENING OF THE CDE, THE WAY MIGHT START OPENING FOR MINISTERIAL VISITS.
4. BODSTROM WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY ASK IF YOU ARE COMING TO STOCKHOLM FOR CDE. THE SWEDES INSIST THAT THEIR POSITION THERE WILL BE PRAGMATIC THAT THEY ARE ANXIOUS FOR PARTICIPANTS TO AVOID GRAND- STANDING AND GET DOWN TO PRACTICAL MEASURES, HOWEVER SMALL OR LIMITED. BODSTROM MAY WANT TO EXPLORE IDEAS AND THIS WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR GETTING OUR VIEWS ON PRACTICALITIES OVER TO HIM, BUT THE SWEDES ALSO SAY THAT THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF RAISING NNWFZ OR THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN CORRIDOR IN CDE UNLESS SOMEONE ELSE DOES SO. THIS IS JUST DISINGENUOUS: PALME AND BODSTROM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STAY OFF THE SUBJECT, AND I AM SURE WILL MANOEUVRE IN DUE COURSE TO GET THESE MEASURES DISCUSSED. IT WOULD BE WORTH REPEATING OUR DISLIKE OF THEM
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