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150765
HKC 15/1
MDHIAN 9465
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TO DESKBY 261200Z FCO
TELNO 543
OF 260949Z JUNE 92
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INFO ROUTINE TOKYO, WASHINGTON, BONN, OSLO, CANBERRA, THE HAGUE INFO ROUTINE ASEAN POSTS, BRASILIA, MODUK, ODA, HONG KONG, ACTOR
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YOUR TELNO 212 AND
SUMMARY
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213 TO CANBERRA: PIRACY IN SOUTH EAST ASIA
1 FRENCH RECOGNISE NEED FOR COORDINATED APPROACH BUT FAVOUR TRYING A REGIONAL APPROACH BEFORE RESORTING TO IMO CONFERENCE.
DETAIL
2. WE SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED TO GIRARDIN, DIRECTION DES AFFAIRES JURIDIQUES, AT THE QUAI AND PASSED HER A SPEAKING NOTE COVERING MAIN POINTS IN TUR.
3. SHE REPORTED TWO OR THREE ATTACKS ON FRENCH OIL TANKERS IN THE MALACCA STRAITS SO FAR THIS YEAR. SHE WILL SEND DETAILS BY FAX, WHICH WE WILL PASS ON.
GIRARDIN SAID THAT, WHILE THE FRENCH SAW PIRACY AS A SHARED PROBLEM, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO STAY WITHIN INTERNATIONAL MARITIME LAW: THIS RULED OUT ANY INTERVENTION IN REGIONAL STATES' TERRITORIAL WATERS.
5.
GIRARDIN CONTINUED THAT FRANCE WAS NOT AGAINST THE IDEA OF A SPECIAL IMO CONFERENCE AT SOME POINT BUT THEY WOULD PREFER ATTEMPTS TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM ON A REGIONAL BASIS BEFORE TAKING THE ISSUE TO INTERNATIONAL FORA. SHE SUGGESTED SUCH MEANS AS THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF DISCUSSION BETWEEN REGIONAL STATES, PERHAPS INSTIGATED BY JAPAN. ANY FUTURE IMO CONFERENCE WOULD HAVE TO CONSIDER VERY CAREFULLY BEFORE TAKING ANY DIRECT ACTION: THE FRENCH WERE UNENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE IDEA OF INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION.
6. GIRARDIN SAID THAT THE REGIONAL STATES INVOLVED ID NOT (NOT) LACK THE MEANS TO ACT AGAINST PIRACY AND THEREFORE ANY INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSIONS NEED NOT FOCUS ON ISSUES OF AID. FRANCE RECOGNISED THAT CORRUPT OFFICIALS IN SOME REGIONAL STATES WERE IN CONCLUSION WITH PIRATES, BUT THAT THIS ISSUE OBVIOUSLY NEEDED TO BE APPROACHED SENSITIVELY.
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