2917237
COMMENT:
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY TOKYO
TELNO 1000
OF 181300OZ DECEMBER 89
INFO ROUTINE MANILA. HONG KONG. BANGKOK. CANBERRA. JAKARTA
INFO ROUTINE KUALA LUMPUR. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN. SINGAPORE
MIPT: (NOT TO ALL) OTSUKA'S CALL ON MCLAREN. 15 DECEMBER: PHILIPPINES
1. OTSUKA DESCRIBED THE COUP IN THE PHILIPPINES AS QUOTE BIZARRE UNQUOTE. NEITHER SIDE HAD WON: ALTHOUGH THE
GOVERNMENT HAD SUCCEEDED IN SUBJUGATING THE REBELS. IT HAD BEEN DEALT A SERIOUS BLOW. OTSUKA AGREED THAT THE SITUATION HAD TURNED IN MRS AQUINO'S FAVOUR ONLY AFTER AMERICAN INTERVENTION AND THOUGHT THIS WOULD WEAKEN HER HAND IN DISCUSSION OVER THE FUTURE OF THE US BASES. BOTH THOSE IN FAVOUR OF THE BASES AND THOSE AGAINST WOULD FEEL THEIR POSITIONS HAD BEEN REINFORCED. BUT. DESPITE MRS AQUINO'S GRADUAL LOSS OF POPULARITY IN THE PHILIPPINES. JAPAN HAD. ACCORDING TO OTSUKA. NO CHOICE BUT TO SUPPORT HER. MCLAREN AGREED. COMMENTING THAT THE UK AND ITS EC PARTNERS WERE IN THE SAME POSITION.
MCLAREN EXPLAINED THAT LORD BRABAZON HAD DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH HIS VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES DESPITE THE COUP AS A GESTURE OF SUPPORT FOR AND CONFIDENCE IN MRS AQUINO. BUT THE COUP ATTEMPT WOULD
CAST DOUBT ON THE COUNTRY'S POLITICAL
STABILITY AND THE WILLINGNESS OF INVESTORS TO INVEST. SAID THAT JAPANESE INVESTORS SHARED THIS VIEW. JAPAN WOULD CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE PHILIPPINES MULTI-AID INITIATIVE.
OSTUKA
BUT
3. SEE MIFT
HURD
YYYY
MAIN
鐳
139
JAPAN POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
(BACKGROUND)
LIMITED
FED
ECD (E)
ECD(I)
1.
'
6
ERD
COMED
A
SEND
MAED
6
HD/CRD
1.
NEWS NAD
3