TNAG-0940-FCO40-1159-Visits-by-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Ministers-and-officials-t-1980 — Page 89

PS/Mr Blaker

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Н.ЖК 026/7

RUSPIO OF WOL WAS. 51

No

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2 JUL 1980

2 JoyR

REGISTRY Action Tang.

/are

OVERSEAS VISITS BY MR BLAKER

1.

2.

Your minute of 24 June.

and

Mr Blaker visited Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines last September; Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei last January; Malaysia (for the EC/ASEAN Ministerial meeting) last March.

G

perhaps more

3. 1 understand that there is a possibility that the Secretary of State will undertake a tour of the ASEAN countries early in the New Year.

4. Bearing the above in mind, I do not think that there is any need to consider further visits by Mr Blaker to the South-East Asian area for the time being, though we would need to think again if the Secretary of State's trip has to be for any reason postponed.

Burma, of course, remains a candidate for a Ministerial visit at some time, but the logistics of getting to Rangoon are complicated and there is no pressing requirement for a visit to a country which has largely dropped out. We could reconsider the desirability of a visit to Burma when it is clearer what the prospects/of achieving a settlement of the long outstanding Burma claims issue, on which I have submitted separately.

27 June 1980 Copies to:

SAD

HED SED

HYGI

Mr. Willignon (30.6.

Wbum

K FX Burns

South-East Asian Department

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