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7. YOUR STRESS THROUGHOUT ON OUR CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO THE FIVE POWER DEFENCE ARRANGEMENT OBVIOUSLY WENT DOWN EXTREMELY WELL. DESPITE DHANABALAN'S APPARENT OPTIMISM (PARA 12 OF MY TELNO 216
THE SINGAPOREANS ARE NOT TO ALL) ABOUT MALAYSIAN ATTACHEMENT TO IT, VERY WORRIED ABOUT POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS IF THE MALAYSIANS DECIDE TO PRESS HARD FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PRESENT AUSTRALIAN COMMANDER OF THE INTEGRATED AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM BY A MALAYSIAN OFFICER. I SUSPECT, ADMITTEDLYO ON NO HARD EVIDENCE AT PRESENT, THAT THEY FEAR THAT THIS COULD SPELL THE END OF THE FPDA AS PRESENTLY CONSTITUTED, WITH DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON SECURITY AND CONDFIDENCE IN THE REGION AND ON THEIR OWN DEFENCE POSTURE.
EC/ASEAN
8. MY GERMAN COLLEAGE HAS ALREADY CONVEYED TO BONN THE RECOMMENDATION OF EC HEADS OF MISSION HERE ON THE BASIS OF DHANABALAN'S PLEA AT A COMMUNITY LUNCH IMMEDIATELY BEFORE YOUR ARRIVAL, THAT THE EC/ASEAN DUSSELDORF MEETING SHOULD FOLLOW THE INFORMAL PATTERN SET IN 1986 IN JAKARTA. YOU WILL NO DOUBT WANT TO REINFORCE THIS MESSAGE WITH MR GENSCHER AS PREPARATIONS FOR THE MEETING INTENSIFY.
DRUG TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION
9.
IT
ALTHOUGH DHANABALAN COULD NOT COMMIT HIMSELF AT THIS STAGE, NOW SEEMS LIKELY THAT THE SINGAPOREANS WILL PUT THROUGH LEGISLATION ON THE SEIZURE OF DRUG TRAFFICKERS' ASSETS, PERHAPS BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR. YOUR OWN EMPHASIS ON THE NEED FOR THIS WILL BE HELPFUL IN ACCELERATING WHAT IS INEVITABLY A LENGTHY AND COMPLEX PROCESS FOR THE SINGAPOREANS.
HONG KONG
10.
NONE OF THE MINISTERS YOU MET CONTESTED YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THE WAY THE SINO/BRITISH AGREEMENT ON HONG KONG IS BEING
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THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED UNDER
FOI EXEMPTION NO.
7.(14).4(2)