TNAG-1035-FCO40-1285-Visit-by-John-Nott--Secretary-of-State-for-Defence--to-Hong--1981 — Page 42

LETTER

DSR 11 (Revised)

DRAFT:

FROM:

minute/letter/teleletter/despatch/note

Private Secretary

DEPARTMENT:

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION]

Top Secret

Secret

Confidential

Restricted

TO:

B M Norbury Esq

Ministry of Defence Main Building

Whitehall

LONDON SW1

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

CAVEAT.

SUBJECT:

TEL. NO:

TYPE: Draft/Final 1+

Reference

Your Reference

Copies to:

..In Confidence

1. Thank you for your letter of 1 July about your

Secretary of State's proposed visit to a number of

countries in the Middle Far East.

Enclosures-flag(s)...........

2. Lord Carrington is content that Mr Noti should

undertake the visits on the dates suggested subject to

confirmation from our posts that a satisfactory

programme can be arranged within the dates you propose

for the tour. We are now therefore approaching posts for

their views. Until they have approached host governments,

we cannot be sure that the dates for some of the stops

will not need some refinement.

3. In the case of Cyprus, clearly there can be

objection to a visit to the Western Sovereign Base Area,

or to going from there to the Eastern Sovereign Base Area

by helicopter. But a visit to the British contingent

with UNFICYP would, for protocol reasons, necessitate

calls on the Greek and Turkish Cyrpriot leaders. Mr Nott's

visit is likely to come at a particularly delicate stage

in the intercommunal talks. This need not necessarily

rule out a visit to the British contingent, if Mr Nott is

/keen