TNAG-1297-FCO40-1652-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 297

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- 7 FEB 1934

Mr. Powell яве

Sull

ff

h

& not

Рибис

Mr Elliott, Far Eastern Dept

Secretary of State's Visit to the Far East

L42

The Secretary of State has seen your submission of

2 February; He accepts your recommendations:

(a) that we should confirm the dates for Korea and

Japan; and

(b)

that we should advance the dates for Hong Kong to 27-29 April.

11

As regards your recommendation (c), the Secretary of State agrees to keep open the option of leaving the UK on Friday 20 April if a visit to Peking turns out to be possible in the circumstances. The alternative you suggest is not possible. It is not a question of altering the Secretary of State's commitments on 2 May. These are oral questions in the House, and the Anglo-German Summit, neither of which, as you will appreciate, are events that can be altered.

Ricketts

3 February 1984

(P F Ricketts)

Cc:

PS/Mr Luce PS/PUS

Sir P Cradock

Sir W Harding Mr Ct, HKD Protocol Dept

Mr. Mano m. Hear

8/2

CONFIDENTIAL