Prints Secondary

Mr Ratford

My Munro

RA

CONFIDENTIAL

Thank you. But the Secretary of

From:

Date:

State believes that co

his planned meeting with Lord Carrington will provide sufficient

cover.

Ce

си 25/0

CA Munro

PS. MM. Chadhous P.S. / Lady Young

M.. Zark

Dark Thoma

Western European Department

23 April 1986

Mr Hum HKD

Mr Masefield, FED

Mr Ford, ECD (I)

Miss Bailes, Planning Staff

Mr. Cleghorn, Defence Dept

SECRETARY OF STATE'S MEETING WITH THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER ON 23 MAY

(41

CRfudd

2514

сс

as above

Problem

What other meeting should the Secretary of State undertake as cover for his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister.

Recommendation

2. I recommend seeking a call on the Belgian Prime Minister, Mr Martens.

ECD(I) agree.

Background

A 3. Mr Culshaw's minutes of 9 and 14 April. I had earlier suggested

to FED that the Secretary of State might seek a meeting with Mr Martens or possibly the Foreign Minister, Mr Tindemans, as cover for his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister. A meeting with the Belgians could be as effective for cover purposes as a meeting with Lord Carrington and could be intrinsically useful in view of the Belgian Presidency of the Community which follows our own. I am confident that this proposal would have Mr Petrie's full support. I notice from Sir David B Hannay's letter of 21 April to Mr Lavelle at the Treasury that there is

a need for an early effort to try and tie Belgium into the "Northern" camp for the coming Community budget meetings.

4.

In view of the tremendous frequency of meetings between EC Foreign Ministers I hesitate to push for a bilateral with Tindemans.

Subject

/to

HRK026/2

RECI

VISTRY

2 8 APR 1986

STRY

Action Taken

AJB 28).

CONFIDENTIAL

741

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