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016714
MDLIAN 6402
GREATEST IMPORTANCE TO KOREA RATHER THAN THE FUTURE OF APEC. WHETHER OTHER PARTICIPANTS THOUGHT THE OCCASION JUSTIFIED THE PRICE OF THE AIR-FARE IS ANOTHER MATTER. BUT FACED WITH CONTINUING ASEAN AND MALAYSIAN AMBITIONS WHICH DIMINISH APEC, THE MEETING CANNOT BE THOUGHT TO HAVE REPRESENTED A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD IN APEC'S FUTURE. AND DOMESTICALLY, FACED WITH PRESSING ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, THE GOVERNMENT HAVE COME UNDER SOME CRITICISM FOR THE COST OF THIS CONFERENCE. IN PARTICULAR, THE PRESENTATION TO MINISTERS OF INDIVIDUAL SETS OF (VERY EXPENSIVE) CUFF-LINKS BY THE MFA HAS LED THEM TO INCUR THE WRATH OF THE MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY WHO REGARDED SUCH MUNIFICENCE AS A GROSS EXAMPLE OF THE CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION AGAINST WHICH THEY ARE CURRENTLY CAMPAIGNING.
WRIGHT
YYYY
DISTRIBUTION
82
MAIN
77
.ASIA/PACIFIC ECONOMIC
SPD
LIMITED
PS
ERD
ECONOMIC ADVISERS
ECD (E)
FED
HKD
NAD
PLANNERS
SEAD
PS/LORD CAITHNESS
PS/MR GAREL-JONES
MR BAYNE
SIR J COLES
MR BEAMISH
MR BURNS
MR SLATER
ADDITIONAL
5
MR T MUIR EEP/DTI
MR JM BOWDER, OT4/DTI MR LOVE, OT2/DTI
MR P SEDGEWICK, IF/HMT MR P EDMONDS, IF2/HMT
NNNN
3
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