CONFIDENTIAL
Iran/Iraq
The Secretary General said that he was hoping for a further reply from Iran either next week or at UNSSOD. If he could persuade the Iranian Foreign Minister to sign a letter saying that Iran "adhered to" SCR 598, instead of "accepted", that might conceivably be enough to secure Iraqi cooperation. The Iraqis had not been all that negative. The Secretary of State said that the problem was that the Iraqis, by their recent actions, had let the Iranians off the hook. He was himself thinking of sending a message to the Iraqis. The Secretary General agreed. His own recent message had been very carefully drafted. The arms embargo resolution was effectively stuck, which was why he had sent it. Sir John Fretwell asked whether increased Russian concern about Iranian meddling in Afghanistan was a factor. The Secretary General said that it might well be. The recent elections in Iran had also strengthened the extremists. We needed to remember that it was not only some of the : Permanent Members of the Security Council who were opposed to the resolution. On the positive side, the Iraqi victory at Fao might have made the withdrawal of forces problem more tractable. The Russians were still pressing for him to appoint a special representative, but he had so far maintained that there was no point in doing this until the situation was seen to be moving. He had in mind a Swiss national, Mr Furgler.
UN Finances
The Secretary General said that it was irritating to have to beg the US to pay what in fact was the UN's due. The US now owed about $1 billion, including peace-keeping expenses. But they were only asking for about $50 million at present. The Administration had started to lobby too late. The Secretary of State recalled his conversation with Mr Whitehead the previous week. The Secretary General confirmed that he hoped to give the Administration some more ammunition. Changes in the conditions of service of Eastern Europeans and Russians at the UN might help, though they would take some time to take effect. But in his view many of the US Senators were showing bad faith. The Secretary of State suggested that the same factors might apply in relation to the PLO office. The Secretary General said that at some stage they were likely to have to ask the UK to advance its contribution at the end of the year.
They would put the same request to most developed countries.
The Secretary of State said that we would look at that proposal without commitment. Mr Goulding said that problems would begin to arise in September, when no money would be available for salaries. The Secretary General said that before long the US would be in danger of losing its General Assembly vote under Article 119. He hoped that some of the normal problems at the General Assembly this year would diminish, particularly, if the Arabs had any sense, the Israeli credentials question. If the Secretary of State had any opportunity to use his good offices with the Arabs on this, it would be helpful. He supposed that there might be a problem of credentials with Afghanistan if the Muhajeddin were to set up an alternative government inside Afghanistan.
/South East Asia
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