TNAG-1256-FCO40-1589-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 186

CONFIDENTIAL

East/West Relations, Defence and Arms Control

6. INF will be in the forefront of Kohl's mind.

continued to be firm on INF deployment, but the

parliamentary picture is disturbing.

DSR 11C

He has

Putting back the

Bundestag debate to 21 November has complicated the

deployment programme. While showing sympathy for

Chancellor Kohl's domestic difficulties, we should aim

for a joint public statement (similar to that issued on

21 September) that deployment will go ahead in the

absence of success at the Geneva talks: INF will be the

focal point for discussion of the deterioriation in

East/West relations. The Germans remain almost

desperately anxious to maintain the dialogue with East,

as Genscher's meeting with Gromyko on 15-16 October

They and we will want a thorough exchange on

East/West prospects post-INF deployment, and the Germans

may have ideas on how to prevent a further worsening.

showed.

7. This will be the first Summit at which National

Armaments Directors will report to Ministers of Defence

on equipment collaboration. We expect the Summit to take

forward the task of identifying areas of defence

collaboration, especially the future Combat Aircraft.

Community

Only if

8. We want the Athens European Council to be a success.

This means keeping up the momentum of the negotiations.

With German (and French) help this can be done.

we three cooperate will the post-Stuttgart negotiations

reach a satisfactory and rapid conclusion.

If we

can

CONFIDENTIAL