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powers will go along with our plans.
4.
These discussions have now taken place, first with Australia and
then with New Zealand, as recommended by Mr Gillmore in his minute
of 15 December 1988. Sir John Coles saw Mr Beazley, Australian
Defence Minister, on 14 February. Beazley's reaction both to the
principle of close consultation between the external powers and to
the UK's specific plans for its own input, were favourable. He also
approved of our intention to make a parallel approach to New
Zealand (see Canberra telegram 137 and FCO telno 36).
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5. Lord Glenarthur will recall that he had much the same
reaction from Mr Beazley during his own visit to Australia at the
end of February.
6.
Mr Byatt called on the New Zealand Defence Minister, Mr Tizard,
on 28 February. Tizard's response to our proposal for close
coordination with the external powers was again very positive
perhaps more so than Mr Gillmore expected (see Wellington telno 76
and FCO telno 52). It has subsequently emerged that any lack of
enthusiasm for FPDA in the New Zealand government lies with the
Foreign Minister, Mr Marshall. But SPD advise that Marshall has a
good deal less influence than Tizard on the Prime Minister.
7.
In commending the paper, Lord Glenarthur might draw attention to Mr Beazley's remarks to Sir John Coles about recent Singapore
pressure on Australia to make the FPDA more operational, particularly evident when Lee Kuan Yew visited Australia late last
year. This is in tune with Singapore Foreign Minister Wong Kan Seng's recent statement that Singapore believes countries in the region should look to strengthening the various intra-ASEAN defence arrangements to enable the region to increase its defensive capability as the US commitment in the area lessens.
8.
Information that recently came to hand from the DA in Singapore suggests that Singapore has now given up the idea to which Mr Beazley specifically referred, that of a permanent command structure
for FPDA. This might have given us problems because, as the SEAD
paper notes, actual UK resources on offer to FPDA are very limited.
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