CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO DESKBY 19160OZ FCO
TELNO 324
OF 19040OZ SEPTEMBER 88
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS NEW YORK
CONFIDENTIAL
PA
156
107005
MDHIAN 4167
HKD 24315
CEP 988
YOUR TELNO 213: UNGA 43: BILATERAL WITH VIETNAMESE
1. VIETNAMESE DELEGATION WILL BE LED BY TRAN QUANG CO, SECOND DEPUTY VICE MINISTER AND ALTERNATE MEMBER OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST PARTY. I THINK IT RIGHT TO EQUATE HIM WITH A MINISTER OF STATE.
2. HE IS REGARDED AS A HEAVY WEIGHT IN THE MINISTRY (ALTHOUGH SMALL AND FRAIL IN APPEARANCE). HE IS REPUTED TO BE THE MINISTRY'S EXPERT ON THE CAMBODIAN ISSUE (HE RECEIVED AHMED OD THE UNITED NATIONS LAST WEEK) AND WAS, BEFORE HIS PRESENT APPOINTMENT, AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND.
3. ALTHOUGH FUNDATENTALLY TOUGH, HE IS AN AGREEABLE AND EASY INTERLOCUTOR. HE SPEAKS FRENCH AND ENGLISH. THE LATTER IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM TO ENGAGE IN SERIOUS DISCUSSION (EG WITH ME OVER THE GUN INCIDENT AT THE EMBASSY IN LONDON) ALTHOUGH HE HAS TO SEARCH FOR WORDS OCCASIONALLY AND YOU WILL NEED TO SPEAK SLOWLY AND CLEARLY WHEN MAKING KEY POINTS.
PART
XXXX
DAVIES
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
44
LIMITED
UND
LEGAL ADVISERS SEAD
NNNN
DISTRIBUTION
44
HK D
EGGAR
PS
PS/MR
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
PAGE
1
CONFIDENTIAL