}
CONFIDENTIAL
026770
MDHIAN 6i
AGAIN ACCOMPANIED BY THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY AND FRENCH. IN THAT
CASE YOU MIGHT WISH TO SEND THE HEAD OF SEAD FROM LONDON. I DO
NOT THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE ANY FUNDAMENTAL POLITICAL OR OTHER
OBJECTION TO HONG KONG TAKING THE LEAD AT THAT STAGE. THE VIETNAMESE INVITATION IS FOR HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES
TO NEGOTIATE THE RETURN OF VIETNAMESE IN HONG KONG. INDEED FROM
YOUR POINT OF VIEW THERE MIGHT BE SOME MARGINAL ADVANTAGE IN STARTING OFF BY CONCENTRATING ON THE SPECIFIC ISSUES OF HONG KONG. THIS WOULD ENABLE US, AS YOU SUGGEST, TO ESTABLISH THE MAIN ELEMENTS OF ANY POSSIBLE DEAL AND THE LIKELY PRICE THEY WILL DEMAND. A SUBSEQUENT ROUND OF TALKS WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY BE NECESSARY. WE WOULD THEN BE ABLE, WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE TO OUR POSITION, TO CONSIDER PUTTING THE NEXT TEAM UNDER LONDON LEADERSHIP, WHEN WE HAD ASSESSED HOW FAR THE ISSUES UNDER DISCUSSION WERE LIKELY TO BE WIDENED.
5.
ON PRECISE TIMING, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ADAPT TO THE WEEK EBGINNING 18 JULY OR TO ANY OTHER DATES IN MID-JULY. PRESUMABLY YOU WOULD CONTEMPLATE ALLOWING ABOUT TWO DAYS FOR THE ACTUAL TALKS IN HANOI.
WILSON
YYYY
DISTRIBUTION
128
ΜΑΙΝ
125
.VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HK
SPD
LIMITED
FED
HKD
SEAD
UND
LEGAL ADVISERS
WED
SED
PUSD
ECD (I)
ECD (E)
ADDITIONAL
3
MRS WYETH ODA
MR FLESHER B1 DIV HO LUNAR HSE
NNNN
NEWS
PS
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
PS MR EGGAR
PS/PUS
MR GILLMORE
MR SLATER
MR MCLAREN
HKGO LONDON
PAGE
2
CONFIDENTIAL
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