[THE DALAI LAMA]
CONFIDENTIAL
тикс
DA Markin
9.
026181 Mr Brynten ola
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Mr Garten in Mr Cakiz
It is very tempting to make a virtue out of necessity and make known publicly the Prime Minister's intention to see the Dalai Lama. This would win considerable domestic kudos and avoid any later suggestion that we had simply reacted to pressure from the media or Lord Ennals. If the Chinese choose to take umbrage, and thus in some sense spoil the atmosphere created by the visits by our Prime Minister and the Chinese Vice Premier, then a week or two here or there will not make much difference.
2. On the other hand, I see that President Bush turned his meeting into a coup de théâtre by leaving the announcement until the last minute, and, although it was reported some weeks ago that the Dalai Lama would be visiting the UK again, there is no current press interest in whether or not he will be seeing the Prime Minister on this occasion.
Obviously, this will change rapidly, but I think Sir R McLaren has a point in suggesting that the longer we leave a public announcment, the less scope we will give the Chinese to be awkward with us, particularly in respect of the visit by Lord Caithness and the commercial contracts (especially those affecting Rolls Royce and BAe) which were at the forefront of last month's inward visit by the Vice Premier, Zou Jiahia.
3. I would therefore, on balance, support Mr Davies' advice. I have slightly amended the covering letter to No 10, to make the points:-
(a)
(b)
that, when the time comes to make our decision public, it would be only prudent to warn the Chinese in advance;
that No 10 ought to discuss the proposed arrangements with the Archbishop of Canterbury before committing these in writing, even to Sir Richard Luce.
に
4 November 1991
Cc:
Andrew Ben
R A Burns
PS/PUS
Six J Coles
HKD
SAD
News Department
Legal Advisers
Protocol Department PUSD
RAD
Mr Davies, FED
A34AAU
CONFIDENTIAL