TNAG-0864-FCO40-1074-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1980 — Page 45

CONFIDENTIAL

GPS 396

CONFIDENTIAL

FM ALA LUMPUR 9384582 JULY 79

TO IMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 241 OF 3 JULY

2184/1

RECEVED

NO.

- 4 JUL 1979

AND TO IMMEDIATE BAGHDAD AND DELHI (FOR PS TOMOSHA

NASHAAC7..

302

пр

INFO SINGAPORE BANGKOK MANILA JAKARTA BCARPE AND GOV HONG KONG

CANBERRA AND WELLINGTON

MY TEL 238 (NOT TO ALL)

AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT

очевод

1. TAN SRI MANICKAVASAGAM, MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, TOOK ME ASIDE AT A PARTY LAST NIGHT AND SAID THAT, ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S INSTRUCTIONS, HE WOULD BE GOING TO LONDON AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH A FULL MANDATE TO SETTLE THE OUTSTANDING POINTS IN OUR NEGOTIATIONS ON AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT. HE SAID HE WAS PROPOSING TO LEAVE HERE ON 12 JULY BY MAS, ARRIVING LONDON 13 JULY, AND WOULD LIKE TALKS WITH SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRADE AND/OR HIS DEPUTY ON MONDAY 16 JULY, MFA HAD INSTRUCTED MALAYSIAN HIGH COMMISSION IN LONDON TO THIS EFFECT. HE SAID HE WOULD BE BRINGING OFFICIALS WITH HIM BUT HAD NOT YET DECIDED WHICH, HE WOULD NOT BE PRESED FURTHER OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT EITHER THE SECRETARY-CENERAL, MOHD NOOR, OR THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION, HAMZAH MAJID, WOULD ACCOMPANY NIM, BUT NOT BOTH, HE SAID THERE WAS NO POINT IN SENDING HIS DEPUTY MINISTER (DR GOH CHENG TEIK) FIRST AS HHHHHHHHE WOULD ONLY HAD TO REFER BACK, AND IN ANY EVENT THE PRIME MINISTER HAD DECIDED THAT THE PROBLEM MUST BE SETTLED AT FULL MINISTERIAL LEVEL.

2. TAN SRI MANICKAVASACAM ALSO SAID HE WAS SORRY TO HAVE MISSED

YOU HERE AND HOPED TO BE ABLE TO SEE YOU IN LONDON, I PROMISED TO

PASS ON HIS MESSAGE BUT WARNED THAT AT SUCH SHORT NOTICE IT MIGHT

NOT BE POSSIBLE TO SEE ANY OF THE MINISTERS CONCERNED, HE SAID HE

REALISED THIS BUT PRESSED THE URGENCY OF REACHING A SETTLEMENT

AND SAID THAT, IF HE RETURNED WITHOUT ANY AGREEMENT, THE SITUATION

WOULD DE QUOTE GRAVE UNQUOTE, HE ALSO SAID THAT, IN HIS VIEW, OFFICIALS WERE NOT FAR FROM AGREEMENT AT THE END OF THE LAST ROUND AND HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT, WITH GOODWILL ON SOTH SIDES AND A MUTUAL VILLINGNESS TO MAKE CONCESSIONS, A SATISFACTORY AGREEMENT COULD

ACHIEVED,

CONFIDENTIAL

/3.

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