RESTRICTED
From:
John Kerr
Date:
8 February
CC:
334
Mr Jay, FCO
Mr Beamish, FCO
Mr Gray, EAU Ms Evans, UND Mr Nixon, MED Mr Ricketts, Hong
Kong Department Dr Jones-Parry, .
ECD (E)
Mr de Fonblanque Mr Hudson
Mr Wright
VAN DEN BROEK: 8 FEBRUARY
1. I have separately recorded my substantive talk with van den Broek today about EEA/Enlargement issues. This minute records our shorter exchanges on other topics.
Yugoslavia
2.
We compared notes on Owen's debate with the US Administration about the Vance/Owen plan. van den Broek said that he feared that the Americans might lift their reserve only on condition that all the parties accepted the plan: the Muslims might then hold out, hoping for more. Alternatively, the Americans might seek changes to the map. I said that I thought Owen expected the Americans to seek changes, and that he did not exclude making some. Clearly he thought that the Bosnian Serbs had been told by Belgrade that they could not expect unlimited support, and should now settle. Perhaps this reflected the tightening of economic pressure on Belgrade, eg on
eg on the Danube. van den Broek, gloomy as always, said that he thought the Danube situation remained highly unsatisfactory. The Ukranians told a variety of stories, possibly all untrue, and unless/until "we" put observers on tugs he did not think the oil sanctions would be effective. I queried who "we" were: he said that he assumed the United Nations would have the role. I said that I thought the riparian states already had the responsibility.
3.
I asked about progress with his idea of a SAM on the Greek/Macedonian frontier. He said that the Greeks had written to him, rejecting the idea. As a result, he was not sure how to proceed.
RESTRICTED