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'AS HIS OWN PERSONAL IDEA AND ON A STRICTLY INFORMAL BASIS' THE THOUGHT THAT WE MIGHT CONSIDER AN INFORMAL MEETING OF COUNTRIES WHICH HAD INVESTED IN HONG KONG TO CONSIDER THE SITUATION WHICH MIGHT OBTAIN BEFORE, AT AND AFTER 1997. WE WILL CAUTIOUSLY EXPLORE THIS IDEA FURTHER HERE DURING PAUL'S VISIT NEXT WEEK. I AM ALSO CONSCIOUS OF TAKESHITA'S POINTS TO ME LAST WEEK (DOUBTLESS ALREADY VERY WELL TAKEN IN LONDON) THAT ONE SHOULD TALK TO THE CHINESE ABOUT PRACTICAL ISSUES AND COOPERATIVE WAYS OF SOLVING THEM RATHER THAN TRYING TO ENGAGE THEM IN DISUCSSIONS ON POINTS OF PRINCIPLE.
C)
GULF. WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT JAPAN REMAINS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING FINANCIAL HELP FOR WESTERN OBJECTIVES. WE SHOULD MAKE A POINT OF SHARING OUR OWN ANALYSIS WITH KAIFU. THIS WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE JAPANESE FACE TO FACE FOR THEIR FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION AND ALSO MAKE A FAVOURABLE REFERENCE TO MINESWEEPERS. BURNS COULD ALSO REMIND KITAMURA OF OUR REQUEST FOR FUNDS FOR UN SECURITY GUARDS AND PERHAPS A FURTHER SHARE OF GCC MONEY IF AN EXTRA HALF BILLION DOLLARS IS GOING TO THE US.
D) SOVIET UNION. FOLLOWING THE EXCHANGE OF LETTER AT PRIME MINISTERIAL LEVEL THE JAPANESE WILL ALSO EXPECT AN EXCHANGE ON THE SOVIET UNION AND MAY WANT TO PROBE OUR POSITION AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP THEM ON THE NORTHERN TERRITORIES. ON THIS POINT, HASIMOTO ALSO REPEATED TO ME THE WELL-KNOWN JAPANESE POSITION THAT THEY WOULD HAVE NO PART IN ANYTHING MORE THAN TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND EMERGENCY AID. GORBACHEV HAD DEMONSTRATED DURING HIS VISIT THAT HE WAS NOT PREPARED TO PAY JAPAN'S POLITICAL PRICE FOR MORE..
E) ARMS CONTROL. ASSUMING THAT WE CAN MAKE SUFFICIENT PROGRESS IN THE MEANTIME, THIS MAY BE AN OCCASION FOR BOTH PRIME MINISTERS TO CONFIRM THEIR COOPERATION OVER ARMS CONTROL ISSUES AND SPECIFICALLY THE PROPOSED UN REGISTER OF ARMS SALES.
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