TNAG-1258-FCO40-1591-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 210

LIKE THE SOVIET UNION, CHINA WAS INVOLVED IN BOTH THE RST AND SECOND INDOCHINA WARS AS WELL AS IN THE CONTINUING MPUCHEAN CONFLICT, BUT IN ONE OF THOSE TWISTS OF HISTORY IT FINDS ITSELF ACTING AGAINST THOSE WHOM IT HAD ONCE SUPPORTED. IN SOME BIZARRE TURN OF EVENTS IT CAN BE SAID THAT HISTORY HAS TURNED HALF CIRCLE IN INDOCHINA WHERE IN THE SHORT SPAN OF LESS THAN FIVE YEARS SINCE THE LIBERATION OF THE OPPRESSED!! PEOPLES OF THE PENINSULA THE ERSTWHILE ALLIES AND FRATERNAL

VERITABLY, IN ONE COMRADES ARE TURNING AGAINST ONE OTHER.

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OF THE GREAT IRONIES OF HISTORY, VIETNAM NOW FINDS ITSELF IN THE SLOUGH OF ITS OWN VIETNAM IN KAMPUCHEA.

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22. FOR US IN MALAYSIA AND OUR FRIENDS IN ASEAN THE TURN OF EVENTS IN INDOCHINA IS A COMPELLING LESSON TO BE LEARNED BY ALL OF THE COUNTRIES IN THE REGION AND THAT IS IF INDEED NOTHING IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE THEN THAT FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE SHOULD ALSO BE FOR OTHERS AS THEY ARE FOR OURSELVES FOR, IN AS MUCH AS WE ARE READY TO FIGHT

THAT IS PRCISELY WHAT AND DIE FOR THESE RIGHTS SO. WOULD OTHERS.

IS TAKING PLACE IN KAMPUCHES.

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THAT BELIEF IS ALSO THE BASIS OF THE ASEAN APPROACH TO THE POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF THE KAMPUCHEAN PROBLEM FOR THE ASE AN PEACE FORMULA IS PREMISED UPON THE EARLY AND FULL RESTORATION OF. THE FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE OF THE KAMPUCHEAN PEOPLE, WHICH HAS BEEN SO CRUELLY AND BLATANTLY WRESTED FROM THEM BY THE VERY SAME PEOPLE WHO HAD EARLIER DERIVED SO MUCH INSPIRATION FROM THOSE NOBLE SENTIMENTS IN THEIR ARDUGUS STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE AND NATIONAL REUNIFICATION.

24. IT IS NOT MY INTENTION THIS EVENING TO GO INTO A FULL AND THOROUGH DISCUSSION ON THE MERITS OR DEMERITS OF THE ASE AN PEACE PROPOSAL ON KAMPUCHEA FOR THAT DESERVES A FULL DISCUSSION IN ITSELF AND MAY THEREFORE BE TAKEN UP ON ANOTHER OCCASION. 1 MERELY WISH TO REITERATE HERE THAT THE ASE AN PEACE PROPOSAL FOR KAMPUCHEA, WHICH HAS BECOME SUBSUMED INTO THE ICK DECLARATION, WAS FORMULATED ON THE BASIS OF A FULL AND THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE OBJECTIVE SITUATION AND THE UNDERLYING

WE BELIEVE IN ALL FACTORS THAT HAD BROUGHT ON THE PROBLEM. SINCERITY AND CONVICTION THAT THE PEACE PROPOSAL CONTAINS ALL OF THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF AND PROVIDES A REALISTIC BASIS FOR A JUST AND AMICABLE POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT.

25. CENTRAL TO THE IDEA OF A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF THE KAMPUCHEA ISSUED IS THE IDEA OF VIETNAMESE WITHDRAWAL WHICH WOULD LEAD TO THE CREATION OF SUITABLE CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO THE PROCESS OF SELF-DETERMINATION INCLUDING ELECTIONS, ALL OF WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF NATIONAL RECONCILIATION.

24. THE ASEAN STRATEGY THEREFORE IS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CURRENT POSITIVE TRENDS IN THE DYNAMICS OF BIG POWER RELATIONSHIPS IN THE INTEREST OF ADVANCING FURTHER THE PLAN FOR A POLITICAL SOLUTION OF THE KAMPUCHEAN ISSUE. IN THIS CONTEXT THE ASE AN FOREIGN MINISTERS IN THEIR RECENT MEETING IN JAKARTA DELIBERATED AT SOME LENGTH ON THE DETAILS AND REFINEMENTS OF THE PEACE PLAN, INCLUDING THE QUESTION OF WITHDRAWAL, AND HAVE MANDATED THEIR OFFICIALS TO FURTHER EXAMINE TOGETHER IN KUALA LUMPUR, IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, THE WITHDRAWAL CONCEPT BOTH IN TERMS OF ITS SEMANTICS AND MODALITIES.

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