TNAG-1304-FCO40-1660-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 220

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DD 10010OZ PEKING

GRS 271

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DESKBY 1001002

FM FCO 0911452 JUL 84

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 735 OF 9 JULY

REPEATED INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

PERSONAL FOR WILSON FROM CRADOCK

HICK

027/21

RECEIVED IN AEGISTRY

10 JUL 1984

INDE

Me

KEB

1. YOU WILL OF COURSE HAVE SEEN THE TELEGRAMS ABOUT THE

I AM VERY CONSCIOUS THAT SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO PEKING.

YOU HAVE NOW DONE NEARLY FOUR WEEKS IN PEKING AND THAT WE MUST I SHOULD HAVE LIKED TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE A BREAK. DEVISE A PLAN WHEREBY YOU COULD COME OUT IN MID-JULY. HOWEVER I WOULD SEE GREAT ADVANTAGE IN YOUR BEING IN PEKING DURING THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT. MOREOVER MY IMPRESSION IS THAT THE WORKING GROUP DISCUSSIONS ARE GOING REASONABLY WELL, ALTHOUGH SOMEWHAT SLOWLY, AND I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE WRONG, BOTH PRACTICALLY AND POLITICALLY, TO WITHDRAW YOU AT THIS STAGE. WE NEED TO GET AS MUCH INFORMATION FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS ON WHICH TO BUILD OUR BRIEF FOR SIR GEOFFREY AND WE DO NOT WANT TO SEND ANY WRONG SIGNALS.

2.

MY PROPOSITION THEREFORE WOULD BE THAT YOU SHOULD REMAIN IN PEKING, TAKE PART IN THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S DISCUSSIONS AS A

AND MEMBER OF HIS PARTY (I PLAN TO BE THERE MYSELF AS WELL),

RETURN TO LONDON WITH HIM. THIS WOULD GET YOU BACK HERE ON THE MORNING OF 2 AUGUST. WE SHOULD THEN SEEK TO GIVE YOU TWO WEEKS IN THIS COUNTRY. THIS WOULD MEAN THAT YOU WOULD PLAN ON RETURNING TO PEKING TO RESTART WORK ON 20 AUGUST IF THAT WERE APPROPRIATE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NEGOTIATIONS.

3. I HAVE NOT REACHED A VIEW YET AND SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS. WE MIGHT OF COURSE HAVE TO CONSIDER PUTTING SOMEONE ELSE INTO PEKING TO KEEP THE DISUCSSIONS IN THE WORKING GROUP GOING IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF AUGUST. HOWE

DISTRIBUTION

COPIES TO:

MR BURROWS, LEGAL ADVISER

LIMITED

HKD

FED

SIR P CRADOCK

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