GRS 300
CONFINDENTIĦAL
FM CANBERRA
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 267
OF 230O3OZ APRIL 87
Confidential
INFO PRIORITY PEKING HONG KONG, MOSCOW, WASHINGTON
PA VALE
HKB 027
1027/9-
22 APR 1937
52
FROM PRIVATE SECRETARY
SECRETARY OF STATE'S MMEETHING WITH CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER, BANGKOK 21 APRIL: SNO/SOVIET
1. THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAND THAT THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT
TO MOSCOW HAD BEEN FASCINATING. SHE HAD SPOKEN VERY DIRECTLY
TO MR GORBACHEV BUT WITHOUT CONFRONTATION. THE SOVIET LEADERSHIP
AND SOVIET PUBLIC OPINION HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO OUR THINKING INN A VERY DIRECT MANNER. HE HIMSELF HAD HAD LONG TALKS WITH SHEVARDNADZĖ. ON AFGHANISTAN AND CAMBODIA WE WERE CLEAR THAT THE SOVIET LEADERSHIP WERE THANKING AFRESH ON THEIR POLICY POSITION",
BUT ON THE SUBSTANCE WE HAD DRAWN THE IMPRESSION THAT THIS THINKING
HAD YET TO PRODUCE A FRESH APPROACH. THE RUSSIANS APPEARED TO
THMINK THAT THEY COULD GET OUT OF AFGHANISTAN AND CAMBODIA WHITHOUT FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES IN THE REGIMES THERE. THEY WERE NOT
WILLING TO PUT SINGNIFICANT PRESSURE ON THE VIETNAMESE. WE THEREFORE
RETAINED A HEALTHY SCEPTICHISM, THOUGH WE REMAINED READY TO WELCOME A REAL CHANGE OF APPROACH OF IT TOOK PLACE. ON SINO/SOVIET RELATIONS, SHEVARDNADZE HAD BEEN SLIGHTLY MORE UP-BEAT THAN
WU HAD BEEN AT THE BERNE MEETHING.
2. WU SAND THAT HE AGREED BROADLY WITH THE ANALYSMS ON AFGHANISTAN
AND CAMBODIA. THE TENTH ROUND OF SNO/SOVIET TALKS ON THE NORMALNISATION OF RELATIONS HAD JUST TAKEN PLACE. THE RUSSIANS
HAD OFFERED NO CONCESSIONS OF SUBSTANCE ON CAMBODIRA. THE RUSSIANS
HAD SUGGESTED THAT CAMBODIA SHOULD BE DISCUSSED AS AN ISSUE
OF REGIONAL CONFLICT AT THE NEXT SESSION OF TALKS, BUT HAD NOT
ACCEPTED THE CHINESE VIEW THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE THEMSELVES DIRECTLY INVOLVED. IN THE CHINESE VIEW, SHF THE RUSSHANS
IREALLY
Confidential