TNAG-1297-FCO40-1652-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 322

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 14 OF 13 JANUARY 1984

INFO IMMEDIATE TOKYO

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG

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RECSIVED IN NEGISTRY 19 JAN 1934

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FOR F E D.

MY TELEGRAM NUMBER 12: PROPOSED VISIT BY SECRETARY OF STATE.

1.

THE DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS TOLD ME THIS AFTERNOON

THAT AT THE SAME TIME AS WE PUT TO THE KOREANS THE DATES IN YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 3 THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE AMIR OF QATAR WANTED TO MAKE HIS STATE VISIT TO KOREA ON 20-22 APRIL. THEY HAD ASKED HIM IF HE COULD POSTPONE HIS VISIT TO THE FOLLOWING WEEK BUT WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE. ACCORDINGLY THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT, WHO VERY MUCH LOOKED FORWARD TO SIR G. HOWE'S VISIT, HOPED THAT IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO COME ON OR AFTER 23 APRIL.

2. 1 EXPLAINED THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S PROGRAMME, AND THE. INCIDENCE OF THE EASTER HOLIDAY, WOULD MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO CHANGE THE DATES FOR HIS FAR EAST TOUR. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEE SAID THAT THE KOREANS WOULD BE HAPPY TO WELCOME THE SECRETARY OF STATE ON THE DATES PROPOSED BUT THAT IN ORDER FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE TALKS WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER AND TO SEE THE PRESIDENT IT WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR HIM TO ARRIVE HERE ON THE MORNING OF 19 APRIL. IT IS NOT YET KNOWN AT WHAT TIME THE SULTAN IS ARRIVING BUT AS HE IS A HEAD OF STATE THE PRESIDENT AND FOREIGN MINISTER WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE AIRPORT, SO WE COULD NOT BE AT ALL SURE THAT MEETINGS WITH THEM COULD BE ARRANGED ON 20 APRIL.

3. IF, AS I ASSUME, THERE IS NO QUESTION OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S TOUR TAKING PLACE LATER AND SUBJECT TO A DECISION ABOUT SHORTENING THE AMOUNT OF TIME HE SPENDS IN JAPAN, I RECOMMEND THAT WE ACCEPT WHAT IS PROPOSED. IF THE SECRETARY OF STATE ARRIVES HERE BEFORE NOON IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO ARRANGE ALL THE NECESSARY CALLS AND TALKS AS WELL AS AN EXCHANGE OF HOSPITALITY ON 19 APRIL AND, WE WOULD HOPE, ON THE MORNING OF 20 APRIL. THE AFTERNOON OF 20 APRIL COULD BE DEVOTED TO THE INDUSTRIAL VISITS WHICH THE SECRETARY OF STATE TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AND ON THE MORNING OF 21 APRIL HE COULD VISIT PANMUNJOM BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE. THIS WOULD BE A RATHER CRAMPED VISIT BUT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET IN ALL THE ESSENTIALS AND IT WOULD BE MUCH BETTER THAN NO VISIT AT ALL.

SPRECKLEY.

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