TNAG-0862-FCO40-1072-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1979 — Page 20

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GR 200

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM F C 0 021845Z FEB 79

TO PRIORITY CANBERRA

TELEGRAM NUMBER 62 OF 2 FEBRUARY

No

INFO PRIORITY SINGAPORE, JAKARTA, MANILA, BANGKOK, S 100 KUALA LUMPUR, HONG KONG (GOVERNOR AND BCARFE)

INFO ROUTINE WELLINGTON.

10 YOUR TELNO 67 (PARAGRAPH 3): UK/AUSTRALIAN AIR SERVICES.

19

1. WE SEE THE FORCE IN YOUR ARGUMENTS FOR JOINING IN THE

NEGOTIATIONS ON A MATTER IN WHICH WE HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL INTEREST.

BUT IF WE WERE PRESENT WE ARE DOUBTFUL WHETHER IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR US TO BE AN SQUOTE HONEST BROKER UNQUOTE. WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE CLEAR OUR OWN POSITION THEREBY INEVITABLY DISAPPOINTING AT LEAST ONE OF THE OTHER TWO PARTIES (AS WAS RECOGNISED IN SINGAPORE TELNO 56).

2. BY AGREEMENT, THE AUSTRALIANS HAVE SO FAR TAKEN THE LEAD IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH ASEAN ON THE ISSUE. WE PREFER TO REGARD THE PROPOS-

ED MEETING AS THE LATEST STAGE IN A SERIES. IF WE NOW JOINED IN

THERE WOULD BE A RISK THAT WE WOULD BE REGARDED BY ASEAN AS

GANGING UP WITH THE AUSTRALIANS AGAINST THEM. INCIDENTALLY, DO THE

AUSTRALIANS YET KNOW WHETHER THE ASEAN COUNTRIES ACCEPT THE

AUSTRALIAN'S PROPOSAL FOR A MEETING?

3. WE WOULD THEREFORE LIKE YOU TO TELL THE AUSTRALIANS THAT WE

THINK THEY SHOULD CONTINUE TO TAKE THE LEAD. IN THE LIGHT OF THE

OUTCOME OF THE NEXT ROUND WITH ASEAN WE CAN BOTH CONSIDER HOW BEST

TO HELP MATTERS ALONG.

OWEN

FILES

MAED

SEAD

SPD

COPIES

то

MR BRYANT?

MR. RUMBELOW

нкаад

MISS BROWN MR MURRAY

CONFIDENTIAL

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