CONFIDENTIAL
improve its relations with most Arab countries only when it adopted a position recognising the Palestinian people's right of self-determination, and that to establish its own political power in the Gaza Strip and Western Bank. Huang Hua asked whether Britain and the EC were prepared to take further initiatives in the Middle East at an appropriate time.
6.
Lord Carrington said that there would be an EC ministerial meeting with the Arabs later this year.
It would be useful if as a result of this meeting they could get the PLO to recognise, if only conditionally, that Israel had a right to exist. Otherwise it would be difficult to get Israel to accept self-determination for the Palestinians. Lord Carrington added that anything China could do to influence the situation would be helpful. Huang Hua replied that the PLO had privately decided to recognise the right to the existence of Israel if the international community accepts the PLO's right to establish its own state. Lord Carrington agreed that the PLO had so far only been prepared to make such statements privately. The EC would do its best but unless we carried the US with us Israel would never shift.
Korea
7. Lord Carrington said that he believed South Korea was
anxious to start talks with North Korea and continue the
dialogue. He added that the stability of Korea was most important and asked Huang Hua for his views. Huang Hua said, approvingly, that the DPRK had proposed an exchange of views with South Korea to establish a loosely organised confederation of a Korean Republic without changing their political systems. However, the Kwangju incident and the coming to power of Chur had made things more difficult. Only time could solve this problem.
8. Huang Hua said that North Korea also wanted to start a
dialogue with the US. In order to end the state of war and
hostilities between North and South it was necessary for the US, as an interested party, to support negotiations with
CONFIDENTIAL
/North
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.