TNAG-1747-FCO40-2466-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1988 — Page 214

Mr Adams, SEAD

RESTRICTED

HRB 007/3

15 JAN 1988

Myr FG Mr Wood

так

27.0.

South East Asia: Speeches

The Secretary of State has considered your submission of 23 December. I have minuted separately about Sri Lanka.

The Secretary of State agrees that his main speech should be delivered in Singapore, and should be targetted at the regional audience. It will not be among those considered for publication by Planning Staff in this summer's booklet of speeches. He is broadly content with the outline which you have submitted, but wants much more emphasis on the economic and political successes of Britain in the Eighties, and our key role in the whole of South East Asia.

For the bilateral speeches in Malaysia and Brunei the Secretary of State accepts your outlines. But he wants the Malaysian speech to contain much more about their own success, with more stress on the possibilities of partnership between our two countries. [Here and on other points you may find some inspiration in the major speech which the Secretary of State is about to deliver in Japan.]

I am a little concerned at the heavy burden which all these speeches will impose on

impose on the Secretary of State. Five substantive speeches in eight days, even if carefully prepared in advance, would leave little time for doing] anything else! Although it is essential to make some bilateral points in each country, can we try to reduce the length and weight of at least two of the speeches (bearing in mind also that press conferences will be opportunities to get our views across)? Is there really a need for a second substantive speech in Singapore, or could remarks at the dinner be confined to an "elongated toast"? Planning Staff will wish to consider how much overlap there is likely to be between the regional speech in Singapore and the Secretary of State's Switzerland speech. Given the different audiences at which they are aimed, such overlap might not be disastrous. But the Secretary of State is already aware of the danger.

7 January 1988

cc: Mr Gillmore

Mr McLaren

Mr Hum, HKD

Ribon (on

(R N Culshaw)

Mr Burns, SAD

Mr Meyer, News Dept

Mr Gore-Booth, Planners