CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1627
OF 180945Z OCTOBER 93
INFO PRIORITY DOT, TOKYO
CONFIDENTIAL
- HKC 181/22 нис
1500 1993
8
160151
MDLIAN 4133
га
181/221.
DOT (FOR IAD).
ASA.
HONG KONG/JAPAN SEPARATION TALKS: TOKYO: 13-15 OCTOBER.
SUMMARY.
1. THREE FULL DAYS OF ASA SEPARATION TALKS ENDED ON 15 OCTOBER.
PROTRACTED DISCUSSIONS BUT LITTLE PROGRESS ON THE ASA TEXT. NO DATE FIXED FOR THE NEXT MEETING BUT JAPANESE MFA SEEM AMENABLE TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS IN EARLY 1994.
DETAIL.
2
AFTER A BREAK OF 15 MONTHS, ASA SEPARATION TALKS WITH JAPAN RESUMED IN TOKYO ON 13 OCTOBER. THE JAPANESE SIDE CONSISTED OF NOMOTO (MFA) WITH 4 OTHER MFA OFFICIALS, ONE MOT OFFICER (NOMA) AND ONE MOT LAWYER. GLASS (ASNU, ESB) LED THE HONG KONG TEAM.
3.
AFTER WE HAD REASSURED THE JAPANESE OVER THEIR FAMILIAR CONCERNS ABOUT PRC SUPPORT FOR ASA SEPARATION AND CONTINUATION OF THE SEPARATED ASA POST-1997, THE REST OF DAY ONE WAS SPENT ON THE QUESTIONS OF DESIGNATION CRITERIA AND ROUTE SCHEDULE, ON WHICH THE JAPANESE INDICATED SUBSTANTIVE DIFFICULTIES WITH OUR PROPOSALS. ON THE FORMER ISSUE, WE OFFERED A NUMBER OF OUR USUAL FORMULATIONS OF ASSURANCE IN AN ATTEMPT TO CIRCUMVENT JAPANESE DOMESTIC REGULATIONS. MEETING WITHOUT SUCCESS IN THAT, WE STATED UNEQUIVOCALLY AT THE END THAT OUR INCORPORATION AND PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS CRITERIA WERE BASED ON THE JD AND WERE THEREFORE NON- NEGOTIABLE. AS REGARDS THE ROUTE SCHEDULE, WE REITERATED OUR PREFERENCE FOR AN OPEN ROUTE SCHEDULE WITH DETAILED ROUTES SET OUT IN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING. VIEWS WERE EXCHANGED ON HOW THE DETAILED ROUTEING, PARTICULARLY THE REFERENCE TO TAIWAN SHOULD BEST BE PRESENTED. ALTHOUGH THE JAPANESE CLAIMED THE DIET WOULD NOT APPROVE AN OPEN ROUTE SCHEDULE, BOTH SIDES UNDERTOOK TO CONSIDER FURTHER.
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