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the British Council did not now intend to launch ELT in Vietnam, hitherto a high priority in 1993/4. But there were
other ways forward eg. using VSOS. The Minister requested a
· draft letter to Baroness Chalker on this subject.
BURMA
12. The Minister asked for a separate meeting on policy towards Burma.
AUSTRALIA
13. Mr Thomas believed that MOD Ministers were disposed to pay for Maralinga. But there would be further discussions before final conclusions were reached.
JAPAN
14. Mr Davies briefed on the prospects for visits by the Prime Minister and Watanabe. On FEPOWS, the Emperor's visit to China could prove instructive. You asked Mr Davies to extract a record of PUS' recent meeting with Owada, in particular on this issue. In the context of EC opposition to the Japanese DG of WHO remaining in place, Mr Cooper said it would be useful to find another Japanese for a senior international appointment whom the UK could support.
KOREA AND MALAYSIA
15. Discussion deferred to the next meeting.
FOREIGN POLICY
16. The Minister referred to various initiatives for presenting the FCO to the outside world his Hong Kong Reception, the Autumn Party and sandwich lunches for academics. You said it was also important to get the message across to Ambassadors and High Commissioners in London, preferably at Ministerial level: they needed reassurance on UK attitudes to Europe, the British economy etc. But convincing foreign governments was the harder task. You commented that the Government did not need new problems now (the debate with China over Hong Kong had been anticipated) and that the FCO should be realistic about the Prime Minister's and Foreign Secretary's diaries (particularly in the light of Maastricht).
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