TNAG-2312-FCO40-3356-Air-services-between-Hong-Kong-and-South-Korea-1991 — Page 39

UNCLASSIFIED

074352 78

MDLIAN

4.

ON 29 MAY THE KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND THE SOVIET CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER SIGNED AN AGREEMENT IN SEOUL ON AVIATION COOPERATION, WHICH GAVE DESIGNATED AIRLINES ACCESS TO EACH OTHERS AIR SPACE AND MUTUAL TAX EXEMPTION ON PLANES, FUEL, PARTS, ETC. DESTINATIONS INVOLVED ARE SEOUL, PUSAN AND CHEJU IN KOREA AND MOSCOW, LENINGRAD AND KHABAROVSK IN THE SOVIET UNION, VIA, IN PRINCIPLE AT LEAST, PEKING, SHANGHAI AND HARBIN. IT WAS ALSO AGREED THAT KOREAN AIR AND AEROFLOT MAY INCREASE THEIR REGULAR FLIGHTS FROM ONE TO TWO A WEEK THIS YEAR AND TO THREE IN 1992.

COMMENT

5.

G

SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS SEEMS UNLIKELY WHILE CHINA AND KOREA LACK DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS. DESPITE CHINA'S UNWILLINGNESS TO BE RUSHED, THE RECENT OPENING OF RECIPROCAL TRADE OFFICES THE KOREANS ARE ALREADY ISSUING VISAS TO THEIR OWN NATIONALS AND THE CHINESE ARE EXPECTED TO DO LIKEWISE SOON - WILL ENCOURAGE FURTHER TRADE AND TOURIST TRAFFIC BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. IN ADDITION, THE EXPECTED ENTRY INTO THE UN LATER THIS YEAR OF BOTH KOREAS, ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT CHINA WILL NOT USE HER SECURITY COUNCIL VETO,

IS ANOTHER ENCOURAGING STEP ALONG THE ROAD TO FULL

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.

WRIGHT

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

61

AIR SERVICES

LIMITED

AMD

LEGAL ADVISERS

NEWS DEPT

FED

SOV D

HKD

ADDITIONAL

9

DISTRIBUTION

70

PS

PS/MR LENNOX-BOYD PS/PUS

MR BAYNE

SIR J COLES

MR SLATER

MR BURNS

MR TAIT