CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 026 !!
RECEIVED IM
13 MAR 1990
38
010076
MDLIAN 2101
TO PRIORITY OTTAWA
DESK
TELNO 3
INDEX
OF 280646Z FEBRUARY 90
INFO PRIORITY FCO
"
1
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P(26
YOUR TELNO 2: VISIT TO CANADA
MANY THANKS FOR THESE THOUGHTFUL SUGGESTIONS.
2.
ALTHOUGH IT WOULD PROBABLY BE FAR MORE CHEERFUL TO STAY WITH YOU, THERE MAY BE SOME ATTRACTIONS IN FOLLOWING WHAT YOU CALL THE MODEL 2 APPROACH I.E. STAY AT RIDEAU GATE AND TILT THE BALANCE A LITTLE IN THE DIRECTION OF HONG KONG ACTING ON ITS OWN. BUT I
SHOULD NOT WANT TO PUSH THIS TO EXTREMES. IF FOR INSTANCE CALLS ARE ARRANGED ON THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE FOREIGN MINISTER, I SHOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY YOU, OR A MEMBER OF YOUR STAFF (THE LATTER MIGHT BE CLOSER TO THE MODEL 2 APPROACH) OTHER CALLS, E.G. TRADE AND IMMIGRATION ETC, I COULD GO WITH A HONG KONG TEAM ALONE. THIS WOULD BE THE PATTERN I FOLLOW IN E.G. TOKYO AND, NORMALLY, WASHINGTON AS WELL AS IN EUROPE.
3. SUBJECT TO ANY VIEWS ROBIN MCLAREN MAY HAVE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SOUND OUT PEOPLE IN OTTAWA INFORMALLY, AS SUGGESTED IN YOUR PARA 6, ON A MODIFIED VERSION OF MODEL 2. PROVIDING, AS I IMAGINE, THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS, WE COULD THEN GO AHEAD WITH ARRANGEMENTS.
4.
MUCH AS I SHOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU IN OTTAWA, I QUITE UNDERSTAND ABOUT YOUR EXISTING PLANS FOR WESTERN CANADA AND WOULD NOT WANT TO DISRUPT THEM. IN HONG KONG TERMS, BECAUSE OF THE PATTERN OF VISITS ELSEWHERE, I DO NOT THINK HOWEVER IT WOULD CAUSE ANY SURPRISE IF IT TURNED OUT THAT YOU WERE IN OTTAWA BUT I WAS STILL ACCOMPANIED ON THE TWO CALLS I HAVE MENTIONED BY A MEMBER OF YOUR STAFF. HARD TO TELL FROM HERE WHETHER SUCH THINGS RAISE ANY INTEREST IN THE CANADIAN PRESS. WITHOUT SEEKING TO IMPOSE ON YOU, A GOOD WAY TO HANDLE THIS MIGHT BE THAT IF/IF YOU ARE IN OTTAWA YOU HOST A DINNER. IF, ALTERNATIVELY, YOU STICK TO YOUR TRAVEL PLANS, I WOULD HOST A MEAL FOR CANADIANS MYSELF ON THE LINES YOU SUGGEST AND WOULD HOPE TO INVITE A MEMBER OF YOUR STAFF.
WILSON
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