TNAG-1302-FCO40-1658-Visits-by-Richard-Luce--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1984 — Page 62

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 027/12.

STRY

4 APR 1984

A

RACELOD

Mr Egerton

PS/Mr Luce

DERM

INDEX

PA

See (92

From:

DK Haskell (MED)

Date:

3 April 1984

toos

CC:

PS/all Ministers

PS/PUS

Sir J Leahy

Dr Wilson

Mr Egerton

Mr Sprague, Protocol Dept. Heads of: SEAD

FED

NENAD

HKD

Α

B

C

MR LUCE'S TRAVEL PLANS

1.

Mr Osborne's minute of 28 March asked for advice on possible visits to the Yemens and Iraq in June or July, Bahrain and Oman (and perhaps Saudi Arabia) in November or early December and the UAE early in 1985.

IRAQ

2.

This is the most tricky country for a number of reasons, not least the continuing war with Iran. In earlier years, Mr Hurd twice attended the Iraqi National Day celebrations in July, though his most recent visit to Iraq, in 1983, was in April. In paragraph 6 of his letter of 14 February, Mr Moberly comments that during the last two years the Iraqis have made less of these celebrations and have not specifically encouraged foreign Ministerial attendance: he would therefore recommend against a visit at that time. (It is also relevant that Mr Moberly himself has been advised, on medical grounds, to take leave during the height of the summer, and is at present planning to do so from 12 July onwards: i.e. he would not be there for the celebrations on 17 July).

3.

Ramadan this year is expected to coincide with the month of June, and it would be highly desirable not to visit any Muslim country during that month. It might just be possible to squeeze in a visit to Baghdad in the first few days of July, but the weather will then be extremely hot (it will also be very hot in Aden). Moreover,

many senior Arab Ministers and officials tend to go on holiday to Europe or North America when Ramadan is over. The ideal time for a visit to Iraq and the Yemens might therefore be middle to late May, before the worst of the heat begins. An alternative would be September, though in the case of Baghdad this might run uncomfortably close to the proposed visit by the Minister for Trade, Mr Channon, to the Baghdad Trade Fair in November.

4.

One final point on Iraq: when Mr Wood, the Head of POD, visited Baghdad in January, he commented that the staff there tended to feel somewhat isolated and that an early Ministerial visit would be good for their morale. This would also argue for May rather than September.

CONFIDENTIAL

/THE YEMENS