TNAG-1635-FCO40-2251-Overseas-visits-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-1988 — Page 59

GRS 300

CONFINDENTIĦAL

FM CANBERRA

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 267

OF 230O3OZ APRIL 87

Confidential

INFO PRIORITY PEKING HONG KONG, MOSCOW, WASHINGTON

PA VALE

HKB 027

1027/9-

22 APR 1937

52

FROM PRIVATE SECRETARY

SECRETARY OF STATE'S MMEETHING WITH CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER, BANGKOK 21 APRIL: SNO/SOVIET

1. THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAND THAT THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT

TO MOSCOW HAD BEEN FASCINATING. SHE HAD SPOKEN VERY DIRECTLY

TO MR GORBACHEV BUT WITHOUT CONFRONTATION. THE SOVIET LEADERSHIP

AND SOVIET PUBLIC OPINION HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO OUR THINKING INN A VERY DIRECT MANNER. HE HIMSELF HAD HAD LONG TALKS WITH SHEVARDNADZĖ. ON AFGHANISTAN AND CAMBODIA WE WERE CLEAR THAT THE SOVIET LEADERSHIP WERE THANKING AFRESH ON THEIR POLICY POSITION",

BUT ON THE SUBSTANCE WE HAD DRAWN THE IMPRESSION THAT THIS THINKING

HAD YET TO PRODUCE A FRESH APPROACH. THE RUSSIANS APPEARED TO

THMINK THAT THEY COULD GET OUT OF AFGHANISTAN AND CAMBODIA WHITHOUT FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES IN THE REGIMES THERE. THEY WERE NOT

WILLING TO PUT SINGNIFICANT PRESSURE ON THE VIETNAMESE. WE THEREFORE

RETAINED A HEALTHY SCEPTICHISM, THOUGH WE REMAINED READY TO WELCOME A REAL CHANGE OF APPROACH OF IT TOOK PLACE. ON SINO/SOVIET RELATIONS, SHEVARDNADZE HAD BEEN SLIGHTLY MORE UP-BEAT THAN

WU HAD BEEN AT THE BERNE MEETHING.

2. WU SAND THAT HE AGREED BROADLY WITH THE ANALYSMS ON AFGHANISTAN

AND CAMBODIA. THE TENTH ROUND OF SNO/SOVIET TALKS ON THE NORMALNISATION OF RELATIONS HAD JUST TAKEN PLACE. THE RUSSIANS

HAD OFFERED NO CONCESSIONS OF SUBSTANCE ON CAMBODIRA. THE RUSSIANS

HAD SUGGESTED THAT CAMBODIA SHOULD BE DISCUSSED AS AN ISSUE

OF REGIONAL CONFLICT AT THE NEXT SESSION OF TALKS, BUT HAD NOT

ACCEPTED THE CHINESE VIEW THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE THEMSELVES DIRECTLY INVOLVED. IN THE CHINESE VIEW, SHF THE RUSSHANS

IREALLY

Confidential