GRS 265
CONFIDENTIAL
DESK BY 08103OZ
CONFIDENTIAL
FM KUALA LUMPUR 0809O5Z OCT 84
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 348 OF 8 OCTOBER
INFO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE, JAKARTA, BANGKOK
ник 040157
040
57
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
0 5 NOV 1984
DESK OFFICER
JADEX,
2
BOYD'S TELELTTER OF 3 OCTOBER AND TELECON MGCOMB7
OF 5 OCTOBER: PRIME MINISTER'S VISHT.
REGIS RY
D-SWANction Taken
5
1. WE DO NOT KNOW PRECISE DETAILS OR THIMING OF DR MAHATHUR'S VISITS TO NORTH AFRICA AND MAL AROUND THE END OF THE YEAR. THE DANGER N SEEKHING CLARIFICATION IS THAT WE MIGHT AROUSE EXPECTATIONS AT THE MFA. WE COULD, HOWEVER, IF YOU WISHED, ASK THEM ABOUT PERIODS OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS TO ONE YEAR WHICH WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR THE MALAYSIANS ON THE GROUNDS THAT THERE IS NO POINT IN EXAMINING DATES WHICH ARE RULED OUT FROM THE START.
2. AS REGARDS THE OPTIONS OUTLINED IN BOYD'S TELELETTER, APPRECIATE THE FORCE OF THE ARGUMENTS FOR A REINSTATEMENT OF THE PRIME
MINISTER'S WISHT IN SEPTEMBER 1985. BUT IT IS DISAPPOINTING THAT
NO 10 APPEAR TO HAVE RULED OUT A VISIT AROUND EASTER WHICH, AS SEEN FROM HERE, STILL LOOKS A GOOD BET. AM SURE THAT RAJARAM WAS
RIGHT IN EMPHASHISING THE IMPORTANCE OF SUGGESTING ALTERNATIVE DATES
TO THE MALAYSCHANS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. NEVERTHELESS | BELIEVE
THEY WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IF THE VISIT HAD TO BE DELAYED UNTIL
SEPTEMBER, AND MIGHT INTERPRET THIS AS A LACK OF COMMITMENT ON
OUR PART.
3. THE SUGGESTION THAT A VISIT TO SRI LANKA MIGHT BE TACKED ON TO
A VISHT TO PEKING IN EARLY 1985 COULD ALSO CAUSE PROBLEMS HERE.
ASSUMING THAT A WISHIT TO MALAYSIA WILL NOT PRECEDE THE PEKING VISIT, WE WOULD NEED TO PRESENT THIS WITH GREAT CARE. THERE IS BOUND TO BE A RISK THAT THE MALAYS HANS WOULD TAKE UMBRAGE. YOUR ARGUMENT
THAT COMBINING SRI LANKA WITH PEKNING WOULD CLEAR THE DECKS FOR A SPECIFICALLY FOCUSSED SOUTH-EAST ASIAN TOUR WOULD NOT HOLD MUCH
WATER WITH THEM: THEY WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IN ANYTHING LESS THAN
A VHSHIT WHICH FOCUSSED PRINCIPALLY ON MALAYSHA. RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY,
IT WAS CERTAINLY IN THESE TERMS THAT THEY SAW THE VISHT PLANNED FOR
LAST SEPTEMBER.
GILLMORE
LIMITED
SEAD
PROTOCOL D
NEWS.D.
SAD
PLANNING STAFF
PS
PS/MK Luce PS/ME RAISON Ps/pus
se.W.HARDING MR. BOUD.
COMES TO.
Ps/2010.
MR. VERERER, ODA
MR. DUNNING ATI (OT2)
CONFIDENTIAL