9861 DNV E!
» MATEOR
HICC
166
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY
a DIST ?45
OCMIAN 6978
CONFIDENTIAL
OO HOKON
RR HKBTC
18150OZ AUG
GRS 310
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 1761
OF 18150OZ AUGUST 86
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
INFO ROUTINE PARIS, BTC HONG KONG
56978
1
YOUR TELNO 2636: NUCLEAR SAFETY: CHINA
1°
YOUR POINTS IN PARA 2 OF TUR ABOUT THE NEED FOR A DECENT
INTERVAL BETWEEN PUBLICATION AND CONTRACT SIGNATURE ARE TAKEN,
BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR TO US WHEN YOU NOW BELIEVE THAT THE REPORTS
ARE LIKELY ACTUALLY TO BE PUBLISHED. PARA 6 OF YOUR TELNO 2622
QUOTES A PRESS REPORT OF A POSSIBLE PUBLICATION DATE QUOTE IN SIX
WEEKS' TIME UNQUOTE. TO THEN ALLOW QUOTE THREE TO FOUR WEEKS
BETWEEN PUBLICATION AND SIGNATURE UNQUOTE WILL CARRY US WELL INTO
OCTOBER AND BRING US UP AGAINST THE VARIOUS COMMERCIAL
CONSTRAINTS AND DEADLINES OUTLINED IN PARA 3 OF OUR TELNO 1670.
HOWEVER IN PARA 2 OF YOUR TELNO 2547 YOU INDICATED THAT A
PUBLICATION DATE AROUND MID-SEPTEMBER, FOLLOWED BY A 2-3 WEEK
INTERVAL BEFORE SIGNATURE, MIGHT BE ACCEPTABLE. GIVEN THAT THE
CHINESE HAVE NOW INDICATED TO US (PARA 5 OF PEKING TELNO 1431 AND
PARA 3 OF PEKING TELNO 1475) THAT THEIR FINAL DEADLINE FOR
CONTRACT SIGNATURE IS 7 OCTOBER, WE BELIEVE THAT THE TIMETABLE
OUTLINED IN YOUR TELNO 2547 WOULD PROBABLY NOT BRING US INTO
THE COMMERCIAL AND OTHER DIFFICULTIES OTHERWISE ANTICIPATED (YOUR
TELNO 2635, NOT TO ALL, NOTWITHSTANDING). IT WOULD THEREFORE BE
1
CONFIDENTIAL
/ HELPFUL