CONFIDENTIAL
120447
MDHIAN 5158
inadequate support, after high profile Lobbying and public opposition from China.
4.
We would therefore be grateful for your assessment of whether, given suitable further lobbying, adequate support from OECD would be available, irrespective of the Chinese reaction. If you judged that there is a reasonable chance of this, we would review our tactics.
5. Another thought which had occurred to us is the suggestion in Davies' Letter to the Secretary for Trade and Industry dated 21 October (copied to you and UKDel OECD) that if the Chinese dig in we can explain that our application is for observer status up to June 1997 only, leaving the SARG flexibility to review in 1997 whether it should continue with such status. An assessment by you and UKDEL OECD on whether OECD would welcome such a time-limited application would be helpful.
6.
you should know also that Kazuo Kodama, Consul and Head of General Affairs Department of the Japanese Consulate General informed the Deputy Secretary for Trade and Industry in an urgent meeting today requested by him that he was instructed by Tokyo to enquire into the reasons for our 'withdrawal'' of our application, although he could surmise the reason, and to say that his Government was upset by our withdrawal because they had supported our application. He expressed considerable sympathy and understanding after the reasons for our temporary withholding (next word underlined not withdrawal) of our application were explained to him. Kodama re-iterated support for our application notwithstanding the Chinese request for consultation, and said that
no problem with continuing to support our application even if it were to be of a time-limited nature extending to June 1997 only. Given the change of sovereignty in 1997, he thought it would be reasonable to allow the SARG flexibility to review the situation in 1997.
he saw
As Paul will be meeting a Chinese representative tomorrow, grateful for your advice deskby 02010OZ.
PATTEN
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