CODE 18-77
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HUD 243/8 PA
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J DAMAU
iforma, HAD
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14/4
78
Mr Wells
EC/ASEAN DRAFT JOINT DECLARATION
Miss Slator
This locks UK.
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14/4
1. You asked for relevant comments on the ASEAN counter draft of the Duesseldorf Joint Declaration. These are as follows.
Cambodia
2.
I far prefered the original, EC draft, which was more balanced and read more easily than the ASEAN version. However, I think we can live with the ASEAN version, provided the following amendments are made:
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(a) 8th and 9th line delete "rests upon Vietnam's willingness to talk directly with him" and substitute by "depends on all parties involved during the talks". While Vietnam remains the key to any solution, it is important that any talks should indeed encompass all parties.
(b) The original, EC draft stressed the need for a Cambodia "free from a return of the unprecedented horrors inflicted upon the Cambodian people by the past Khmer Rouge regime". A similar reference needs to be inserted in the ASEAN draft.
(c) In the 6th and 7th lines of the second paragraph of the ASEAN draft the words "under international supervision" should be deleted, at least until we can be clearer about exactly what is envisaged by such international supervision.
(d) The EC draft referred to "Cambodia" but the ASEAN draft refers to "Kampuchea". Our strong preference would be for the use of "Cambodia" throughout.
(e) I am not happy with the final paragraph of the ASEAN draft. This is too loosely worded and I do not think we should allow ourselves to be committed to rendering "all possible assistance [to Sihanouk] to enable him to play a more effective role". In practice we want to help him but such a commitment is too open-ended. I therefore suggest this sentence be amended to read simply "the Ministers express their support for Prince Sihanouk's efforts to seek a political solution" if we are unable to have the whole sentence deleted. (To a certain extent it simply repeats what is said earlier in the section).
Refugees
I was
3. I have discussed this paragraph with HKD. content with the original EC draft section and remain so. The ASEAN revision, rhetoric apart, is unacceptable on several counts. Firstly, it is simply not true to suggest
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