RESTRICTED
28/12/1
настай
Sir W Hardìm
FROM:
D Carter
DATE:
:
I hope in thimisten CC can agree to take his'
im principle. We can
27 December 1984
Dr Wilson
Protocol Department MED NENAD
Wien consult posts розво
MR LUCE: POSSIBLE VISIT TO SOUTH EAST ASIA
about dates.
PROBLEM
1 Should Mr Luce visit South East Asia in February?
which countries?
If so,
27/2
RECOMMENDATION
2 I recommend that Mr Luce should visit Thailand, Malaysia and,
if time permits, Indonesia.
BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT
3 I understand that Mr Luce plans to make an overseas visit in
the period 17-22 February and that he may use this occasion to
visit South East Asia.
4
Politically and economically ASEAN is of growing importance to us and the West generally. ASEAN governments are very
sensitive about the attention we accord them. We have frequent
high level contacts with ASEAN governments, other than the
Philippines, but, inevitably, the majority of these are in London.
It is important that we are seen to seek to redress the balance
from time to time. The continuing postponement of the Prime Minister's visit to South East Asia makes it the more important that we should maintain a full programme of ministerial visits to
the region.
5 The Prime Minister has indicated that she hopes to reinstate
her visit to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in 1985 but No 10 is not yet in a position to propose dates. Prospects of a visit in the first half of the year look increasingly slim, not least because of prior commitments of the Malaysians and
Indonesians.
RESTRICTED
/6