[_HKKOR 28]
17 MAY 1985
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DD 160100Z MANILA
GRS 293
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DESKBY 160100Z
FM FCO 151800Z MAY 85
TO IMMEDIATE MANILA
TELEGRAM NUMBER 87 OF 15 MAY
YOUR TELNO 139: PHILIPPINES ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER'S CALL ON MR
LUCE
1. THIS WAS UNEVENTFUL, MR CASTRO TAKING A PREDICTABLY UPBEAT
LINE ON PROSPECTS FOR THE PHILIPPINES.
2.
A)
DISCUSSIONS COVERED:
UK-PHILIPPINES RELATIONS: AIR SERVICES
CASTRO SPOKE POSITIVELY ABOUT OUR RELATIONS, MAKING NO SUBSTANTIVE COMMENT ON AIR SERVICES.
B) PHILIPPINES INSURGENCY
CASTRO SAID THE INSURGENCY PROBLEM WAS NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS IN THE
1950'S BUT ADMITTED THAT THE ECONOMIC SITUATION AND THE QUOTE
DISENCHANTMENT OF THE PEOPLE UNQUOTE WERE MAKING FOR DIFFICULTIES
IN TACKLING THE THREAT. HE SAID PROGRESS WAS BEING MADE ON THE
ECONOMIC FRONT AND SPOKE WITH HOPE THAT THE QUOTE DETERMINATION
UNQUOTE OF PRESIDENT MARCOS AND GEN RAMOS WOULD QUOTE TURN ROUND
UNQUOTE THE INSURGENCY PROBLEM.
C) CAMBODIA
CASTRO OUTLINED CURRENT ASEAN MOVES. HE SAID THAT ASEAN'S
POSITION HAD NOT CHANGED IN SUBSTANCE AS A RESULT OF THE
SET BACK SUFFERED BY THE CAMBODIAN RESISTANCE FORCES. MR LUCE
SAID THAT WE CONTINUED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT POL POT AND THE
KHMER ROUGE. CASTRO SAID ASEAN SHARED OUR CONCERN.
D) ASEAN
BOTH SIDES EXPRESSED ENTHUSIASM FOR CLOSER EC/ASEAN TIES.
E) HONG KONG
CASTRO SAID HE WAS SOMEWHAT CONCERNED THAT THE PHILIPPINES
WOULD FACE A QUOTE PASSPORT PROBLEM UNQUOTE WHEN THE STATUS OF
HONG KONG RESIDENTS CHANGED. MR LUCE SAID THAT THE MAIN CONSEQUENC
OF THE CHANGE TO BRITISH NATIONAL OVERSEAS STATES IN 1997 WAS
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