TNAG-1297-FCO40-1652-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 313

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CONFIDENTIAL

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RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

Mr. DEWAN 1984

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FROM:

DATE:

CC:

Marchoted $22011

SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIR

TO THE FAR EAST

1.

•

A E Donald

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13

1

See 14

See (19)

19 January 1984

PS/Mr Luce

PS/PUS

Sir Percy Cradock Sir Sydney Giffard

Mr Elliott

Mr Clift Protocol Dept

513

There is one factor which the Secretary of State may wish to consider before posts are instructed to approach host govern-

ments about this trip.

2.

Developments in the Hong Kong, negotiations may have reached

a point in mid-April where we would find it advantageous to recommend that the Secretary of State should visit Peking while

he is in the Far East. It is too early to predict the pace and the precise development of the negotiations, but there may be

disputed points which can only be resolved by discussion between

Ministers on both sides. The Chinese are showing signs of wanting to have concluded the draft of a joint statement by about the end of July.

3. Another aspect is that regardless of the state of play in

the negotiations, there may be pressure from Parliament or the media suggesting that the trip to the Far East would be a good opportunity for the Secretary of State to touch base in Peking. There has already been some Parliamentary comment in private

that it remains odd that Ministers have so far not been

associated with the negotiations since the Prime Minister's visit in September 1982.

4. I have discussed this very briefly and tentatively with Mr Luce and I am sure that Sir Percy Cradock's views will also be helpful. The main purpose of this minute is to put down a marker that it may be necessary to adjust theSecretary of State's Brogramme at relatively short notice. It would not however be practicable to keep the Japanese and' Koreans in uncertainty for long,, and it would be very undesirable to offend either of these governments by a late cancellation. You may, therefore, wish to

CONFIDENTIAL

/consider