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in March to Exercise COLD WINTER should, therefore, be ample for
1985.
7. The FCO have proposed that the Secretary of State should
visit Canada and host a visit by his Portuguese opposite number.
Whilst acknowledging that the case for the former has some merit
is it considered to be of lower priority than other competing
claimants, not least because the UK has had a quite recent
opportunity to influence the new Canadian Government's defence
programme when Mr Coates, the incoming Defence Minister, visited
the UK last October. Minister (DP).is expected to visit Canada
in the early Spring and Minister (AF) plans to make another visit
to Suffield; these should be sufficient for 1985. The FCO
place a lower priority on a visit from Portugal and, since it
seems almost certain that the Portuguese would use the oppor-
tunity to seek further aid for their frigate programe, we have
on balance concluded that a visit in the coming year would be
inopportune.
Other European Countries
8. Among non-NATO European countries, plans are already in
hand for the Austrian Defence Minister, Dr Frischenschlager to
visit the UK in April 1985. Close relations with Sweden are
considered of importance by both the FCO and ourselves, in view
of her strategically important position on the northern flank,
the intricacies of the Nordic balance and her importance as a
market for the UK; following the Secretary of State's visit to
Sweden early in 1984, a return visit by the Swedish Defence
Minister would be appropriate in the normal course and we
therefore propose that Mr Thunborg be invited to visit the UK
during the latter half of this year (though timing will need to
B
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