CONFIDENTIAL
legislation in a way which did not jeopardise Singapore's position
as a financial centre would take time. Singapore intended to look
at the Swiss model. Brigadier General George Yeo (Minister of State) asked the Secretary of State whether the British authorities
knew of any cases of the laundering of money from drug trafficking
in Singapore. Secretary of State replied that the UK had no such
information but we perceived a need for strict legislation in this
area and quoted the example of our dependent territories in the
Carribbean.
Lithuania
8. Mr Goh asked the Secretary of State for his views. Secretary of
State said both sides had boxed themselves in. Lithuanian appeals
to the West were meaningless when they had no port facility or the money to pay for imports. However the improvement in East/West
relations could not continue when the Soviet Union was seen to be
taking 3 million people and holding them by the throat. The
Secretary of State went on to observe that Gorbachev was a superb
juggler who seemed to relish the problems that confronted him.
However events were now moving too fast for him. The change to a
market economy was proving a very difficult process for the Soviet
Union. The Secretary of State warned that there was very little
change in KGB activities and the military continued to have huge
expenditure plans.
The meeting ended at 1040.
CONFIDENTIAL
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