TNAG-0333-FCO40-369-Visits-of-Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Af-1972 — Page 7

QUOTE CERTAINLY NEITHER OF US WAS ABLE TO ASSESS WHAT WAS LIKELY TO HAPPEN IN TERMS OF A TIME TABLE FOR A CEASEFIRE, BECAUSE NEITHER OF US HAVE INFORMATION ON WHICH WE COULD MAKE ANY JUDGMENT. THAT

WAS CERTAINLY SO UNTIL YESTERDAY AND I DO NOT THINK THERE IS

ANY FRESH NEWS TODAY. CERTAINLY NEITHER CHINA NOR BRITAIN HAS BEEN

ASKED TO PLAY AND PART IN, A CONFERENCE OR IN SUPERVISION MACHINERY.

ALL THIS IS VERY SPECULATIVE. I THINK BOTH OF US ENVISAGE THERE MIGHT

BE AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. AND IF SUCH A CONFERENCE WERE

CALLED, THEN BRITAIN AND CHINA WOULD BOTH HAVE TO CONSIDER WHAT PART

TO PLAY. BUT THIS IS SO SPECULATIVE AT THE MOMENT THAT THERE IS NO

DECISION THAT EITHER OF US COULD TAKE. BUT I DID SAY TO PREMIER

CHOU THAT I HOPED THAT WE COULD KEEP IN VERY CLOSE TOUCH AND

CONSULTATION IN THIS MATTER BECAUSE OUR INTERESTS ARE EXACTLY THE

SAME, AND THAT IS TO SEE PEACE IN THIS AREA OF SE ASIA, AND WHAT IS MORE, TO CREATE A PEACE UNDER WHICH THESE THREE COUNTRIES LAOS, CAMBODIA AND VIETNAM CAN BE NON-ALIGNED UNQUOTE.

AIR AGREEMENT.

18. ASKED WHETHER A SINO/BRITISH AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT WAS ANY

CLOSER THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID:

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QUOTE THE INTENTION IS THERE TO CONCLUDE IT. THE SOONER WE CAN

DO SO THE BETTER. IT IS A MATTER FOR NEGOTIATION, I CANNOT GIVE

A TIMETABLE FOR THAT UNQUOTE.

19. FURTHER QUESTIONED ON THE SUBJECT OF A DIRECT AIR LINK WITH

HÔNG KONG, THE SECRETARY OF STATE REPLIED:

QUOTE THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THIS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN ANY

AIR ARRANGEMENT THAT IS MADE. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A LOOK AT

THE WHOLE OF THIS PROBLEM OF COMMUNICATIONS UNQUOTE.

SINO/BRITISH RELATIONS,

25. ASKED ABOUT THE REFERENCE IN HIS SPEECH AT THE BANQUET GIVEN

BY THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER TO QUOTE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION

UNQUOTE, THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID:

-5-

/QUOTE THERE

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