TNAG-0862-FCO40-1072-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1979 — Page 35

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CRS 550

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 300904 Z

FM CANBERRA 300600Z JAN 79

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

HICK 184/1

PA

No

7307

TELEGRAM NUMBER 79 OF 30 JANUARY

INFO PRIORITY SINGAPORE, KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, MANILA, WELLINGTON(FOR ROGERS) AND HONG KONG (GOV AND BCARFE)

MY TELNO 72 AND SINGAPORE TELNO 60 TO FCO:UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES.

1. THIS MORNING'S AUSTRALIAN PRESS REFLECTED BRIEFING FROM MR

PEACOCK AND HIS PARTY ON THEIR RETURN FROM SINGAPORE ABOUT THE

MINISTER'S CONCERN ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF THE NEW AVIATION ARRANGEMENTS

ON AUSTRALIA'S RELATIONS WITH ASEAN COUNTRIES. SINCE HIS RETURN MR

PEACOCK HAS SPOKEN TO MR NIXON, WE HAVE NOT YET HAD AN ACCOUNT FROM

DF A BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT ASSURED US THIS AFTERNOON THAT

QUOTE WE ARE ON THE SAME TRAM UNQUOTE. WE UNDERSTAND THAT AS A

RESULT OF THIS DISCUSSION AND OF EVENTS OF THE WEEKEND MR PEACOCK IS

LIKELY TO REPLY TO DR MOCHTAR TODAY AND TO WRITE IN SIMILAR VEIN TO

MR RAJARATNAM, AT FIRST THERE HAD BEEN THOUGHT OF SENDING A MORE

SUBSTANTIVE REPLY THAN THAT DRAFTED ON 26 JANUARY BUT IN THE END IT

WAS DECIDED TO SEND A SHORTER ONE. ROWLAND TOLD FIRST SECRETARY (ECONOMIC) TODAY THAT NOT MUCH IN THE DRAFT HAD BEEN CHANGED.

2. ROWLAND SAID THAT IN THE LATEST RE-DRAFT THERE WAS NO REFERENCE TO

THE UK. THE AUSTRALIANS HAD CONCLUDED ON FURTHER REFLECTION THAT THE

EXPRESSION OF THEIR VIEWS AS DESCRIBED IN PARA 3 OF MY TUR WOULD

QUOTE LOOK TOO MUCH LIKE A FIX UNQUOTE COMING ON THE HEELS OF

ROGERS' VISIT AND THAT IT WAS BETTER TO CONFINE THE REPLY TO THE AUSTRALIA/ASEAN CONTEXT. HOWEVER, A SENTENCE HAD BEEN PUT IN TO INDICATE THAT DEVELOPMENTS WOULD NEED TO BE DISCUSSED WITH OTHER

GOVERNMENTS. AT OFFICIAL LEVEL THE VIEW REMAINS THAT IT WOULD BE

ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THE UK TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING WHICH THEY ARE

IN ANY CASE PROPOSING BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND THE ASEAN COUNTRIES; A

NEW SENTENCE WOULD PROVIDE A PEG FOR OFFICIALS TO FLOAT THE IDEA IF

THE UK WERE TO AGREE. THE AUSTRALIANS STILL HOPE TO HOLD THE

MEETING IN THE WEEK BEGINNING 5 FEBRUARY.

3. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT MR PEACOCK WAS RATHER DISINGENUOUS IN THE

ATTITUDE HE TOOK WITH MR RAJARATNAM AS REPORTED IN THE SINGAPORE

TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE. IT CERTAINLY DID NOT SQUARE WITH WHAT MR NIXON TOLD ME IN DECEMBER (PARA 4 OF MY TELNO 612) OR WHAT DEA

OFFICIALS HAVE TOLD US ON SEVERAL

CONFIDENTIAL

/OCCASIONS