TNAG-1255-FCO40-1588-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 145

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Lady Young said that anything that increased the stability of Southern Africa would be useful. We all wanted to see a reduction of tension

in the area.

3. Dr Gama said that the situation was difficult. The more the Angolan regime came under pressure from UNITA and South Africa, the closer their links became with Cuba and the Soviet Union. The Cuban presence in Angola was designed not only to provide security against South African attacks but also to provide internal security for the regime. UNITA was gaining ground and it was difficult to see how the Angolans could accept a Cuban withdrawal. Although the Angolans talked of having an independent army by 1984, most of their officers and technicians had been trained in the Soviet Union.

He

4. In answer to a question from Lady Young, Dr Gama said that the Angolans relied mostly on Cuban rather than Soviet officers. But the Cubans were anxious to avoid direct contact with South African forces or UNITA and this had restricted their area of operation. suspected that the South African Government had stepped up their support to UNITA in order to put pressure on the Angolans to ask for more Soviet and Cuban help. This would give them an excuse to delay a settlement in Namibia.

The South African Government seemed increasingly to be adopting a more coordinated policy designed to establish a belt of friendly black African countries around South Africa.

Portugal and the EC

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Lady Young said that the UK had consistently supported Portugal's accession and had given active help in the accession negotiations. She explained the UK strategy on the budget and CAP reform and handed Dr Gama a copy of the UK paper on the future financing of the Community. Under the present system Portugal would be a net contributor. This was clearly ridiculous and the UK safety net proposal would be very much to Portuguese advantage. The important thing was to establish a more equitable way of financing the Community so that the damaging negotiations of previous years could be avoided.

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