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Department's approach with Australian help in Western Sahara and Somalia, but he rated the chances of producing Australian troops for Bosnia as negligible. If pressed hard, they might be able to provide equipment. That would be easier than people.
NUCLEAR TESTING
4.
Evans said he was deeply troubled by the U.S. Administration's approach to nuclear testing. There was a hideous linkage with the non-proliferation treaty as restarting testing would break the understanding between the nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states which formed the basis of the NPT.
5.
The Foreign Secretary rejected this. We did not want to resume testing for fun but in order to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the nuclear deterrent. We thought the US Administration were close to a decision but we were not clear what conditions might be attached to it. There was no linkage of substance with the NPT. Whether or not we resume testing would have no
influence on debates in Pakistan, India or Korea on whether to continue their developments or on the problems in Ukraine.
HONG KONG
6.
The Foreign Secretary described the latest developments. Our talks with the Chinese were proving unproductive and we beginning to raise the temperature. Evans said he had gone out on a limb in support of the Governor's proposals and had come in for some criticism for doing so. He made clear, in characteristic fashion, his lack of respect for the Australian business community in Hong Kong. He intended to maintain his support for the Governor and hoped we would not let him down.
GATT
7.
Evans was anxious that there should be some progress on GATT. That would rely on a serious package emerging at the G7 summit. The Foreign Secretary agreed. The G7 could not just call for a conclusion to the Uruguay Round by the end of the year as they had done for the last two years. The jury was still out on the French position: it was not clear whether they were really going to block a GATT deal or whether they wanted to stake out a position whereby they could go along with one grudgingly while
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