CONFIDENTIAL
Prince's points on elections, an international force etc.
10. M. Martin said that the JIM was a step in the right direction.
He thought that something could be worked out between Hun Sen and
Prince Sihanouk. PRK/ANS troops got along well. Much better than
with the Khmer Rouge. Prince Sihanouk had been framed by the Khmer
Rouge once. He would therefore want political and military
guarantees that he would be in charge if he went back to Phnom Penh.
Mr McLaren agreed that guarantees were the key. The USSR kept
Vietnam under control and the Chinese (and Thais) were the only ones who could influence the Khmer rouge by starving them of weapons. M. Martin agreed that it was important for France, the UK and the US and others to put combined pressure on the Chinese so that the Chinese recognised the strength of the Western position. He expected to see further Soviet steps following the Sino-Soviet bilateral meeting in August.
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11. M. Martin asked whether we had discussed the idea of an
international conference with China. Mr McLaren said that we had
not discussed this directly. The UK did not have a clear position.
M. Martin asked what conditions we envisaged for a conference taking
place. Would it simply be to provide international guarantees?
Mr McLaren said that we would need to be confident that a conference
stood a strong change of success. There would have to be
considerable progress towards an internal settlement first.
M. Martin agreed but said that there were close links between the
internal and external elements of a settlement. What sort of
participation did we envisage? Mr McLaren said that we had not thought this through very far, but obviously the parties directly involved in the dispute plus the ASEANS and external powers with
real influence should be included. M. Martin asked whether it would
be necessary to include all the members of ASEAN. Mr McLaren said
that it would be difficult to be selective. M. Martin said that
there had been a slight misunderstanding after the Cheysson visit to Bangkok. Some members of ASEAN thought that France was trying to
sabotage the JIM.
12. M. Martin said he thought that President Soeharto might try to
engineer a meeting between Co Thach and Prince Sihanouk at the JIM.
CONFIDENTIAT
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