TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 284

GRS 265

CONFIDENTIAL

DESK BY 08103OZ

CONFIDENTIAL

FM KUALA LUMPUR 0809O5Z OCT 84

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 348 OF 8 OCTOBER

INFO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE, JAKARTA, BANGKOK

ник 040157

040

57

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

0 5 NOV 1984

DESK OFFICER

JADEX,

2

BOYD'S TELELTTER OF 3 OCTOBER AND TELECON MGCOMB7

OF 5 OCTOBER: PRIME MINISTER'S VISHT.

REGIS RY

D-SWANction Taken

5

1. WE DO NOT KNOW PRECISE DETAILS OR THIMING OF DR MAHATHUR'S VISITS TO NORTH AFRICA AND MAL AROUND THE END OF THE YEAR. THE DANGER N SEEKHING CLARIFICATION IS THAT WE MIGHT AROUSE EXPECTATIONS AT THE MFA. WE COULD, HOWEVER, IF YOU WISHED, ASK THEM ABOUT PERIODS OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS TO ONE YEAR WHICH WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR THE MALAYSIANS ON THE GROUNDS THAT THERE IS NO POINT IN EXAMINING DATES WHICH ARE RULED OUT FROM THE START.

2. AS REGARDS THE OPTIONS OUTLINED IN BOYD'S TELELETTER, APPRECIATE THE FORCE OF THE ARGUMENTS FOR A REINSTATEMENT OF THE PRIME

MINISTER'S WISHT IN SEPTEMBER 1985. BUT IT IS DISAPPOINTING THAT

NO 10 APPEAR TO HAVE RULED OUT A VISIT AROUND EASTER WHICH, AS SEEN FROM HERE, STILL LOOKS A GOOD BET. AM SURE THAT RAJARAM WAS

RIGHT IN EMPHASHISING THE IMPORTANCE OF SUGGESTING ALTERNATIVE DATES

TO THE MALAYSCHANS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. NEVERTHELESS | BELIEVE

THEY WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IF THE VISIT HAD TO BE DELAYED UNTIL

SEPTEMBER, AND MIGHT INTERPRET THIS AS A LACK OF COMMITMENT ON

OUR PART.

3. THE SUGGESTION THAT A VISIT TO SRI LANKA MIGHT BE TACKED ON TO

A VISHT TO PEKING IN EARLY 1985 COULD ALSO CAUSE PROBLEMS HERE.

ASSUMING THAT A WISHIT TO MALAYSIA WILL NOT PRECEDE THE PEKING VISIT, WE WOULD NEED TO PRESENT THIS WITH GREAT CARE. THERE IS BOUND TO BE A RISK THAT THE MALAYS HANS WOULD TAKE UMBRAGE. YOUR ARGUMENT

THAT COMBINING SRI LANKA WITH PEKNING WOULD CLEAR THE DECKS FOR A SPECIFICALLY FOCUSSED SOUTH-EAST ASIAN TOUR WOULD NOT HOLD MUCH

WATER WITH THEM: THEY WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IN ANYTHING LESS THAN

A VHSHIT WHICH FOCUSSED PRINCIPALLY ON MALAYSHA. RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY,

IT WAS CERTAINLY IN THESE TERMS THAT THEY SAW THE VISHT PLANNED FOR

LAST SEPTEMBER.

GILLMORE

LIMITED

SEAD

PROTOCOL D

NEWS.D.

SAD

PLANNING STAFF

PS

PS/MK Luce PS/ME RAISON Ps/pus

se.W.HARDING MR. BOUD.

COMES TO.

Ps/2010.

MR. VERERER, ODA

MR. DUNNING ATI (OT2)

CONFIDENTIAL