TNAG-2919-FCO40-4194-International-support-for-Hong-Kong-the-Americas--excluding--1993 — Page 46

RESTRICTED

030545

MDLIAN 7918

ALTHOUGH

FOR FEAR OF UPSETTING PUBLIC AND PARLIAMENTARY OPINION. THE JAPANESE WERE PRESENT IN CAMBODIA, THEY KEPT AS FAR AWAY FROM TROUBLE AS POSSIBLE. MFA OFFICIALS WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SMALL JAPANESE CONTINGENT IN MOZAMBIQUE, SIMILARLY WELL OUT OF DANGER, BUT KONO HAD SAID THAT THIS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE UNTIL THERE HAD BEEN AN ASSESSMENT IN THE DIET OF THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN CAMBODIA.

5.

JAPANESE PERMANENT MEMBERSHIP OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL HAD BEEN TOUCHED ON, BUT NOT PRESSED. MCDOUGALL HAD GIVEN GENERAL SUPPORT TO THE IDEA OF SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM, ON THE BASIS OF PREVIOUS STATEMENTS BY MULRONEY (SEE OTTAWA TELNO 173 OF 25 MAY 1992). BUT THERE WAS NO DISCUSSION OF THE PROCESS OF REFORM. BALLOCH THOUGHT THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WAS NOW REALISING THE DANGERS AS WELL AS THE BENEFITS OF SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP. HE HAD NO SENSE OF SHORT-TERM STRATEGIES BEING PREPARED.

TOKYO SUMMIT

6.

THIS WAS A MAJOR THEME, ESPECIALLY THE INVITATION TO YELTSIN. BALLOCH THOUGHT THE JAPANESE WERE PREPARING TO INVITE YELTSIN TO MEET THE G7 LEADERS, ON THE SAME FORMAT AS IN MUNICH. BUT THEY WERE DISCONCERTED BY THE CALLS FROM OTHER G7 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA, FOR YELTSIN TO BE THERE, SINCE THIS MADE IT HARDER TO DEAL WITH PUBLIC OPINION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NORTHERN

TERRITORIES.

7. THE JAPANESE HAD ASKED ABOUT INVOLVING SUHARTO, AS REPRESENTING THE NAM. MCDOUGALL HAD BEEN RESERVED ABOUT THIS, SUGGESTING IT WOULD SET AN UNWELCOME PRECEDENT.

8.

THE JAPANESE WERE EXPECTING THAT THE TOKYO SUMMIT WOULD HAVE A STRONG MACRO-ECONOMIC CONTENT. DESPITE THE MEASURES ALREADY TAKEN, THEY ANTICIPATED PRESSURE TO DO MORE.

HONG KONG/CHINA

9. MCDOUGALL HAD TAKEN THE LINE WHICH SHE WOULD HAVE DEPLOYED PUBLICLY IN HONG KONG: IT WAS NOT FOR OUTSIDERS TO COMMENT ON SPECIFIC CONSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, BUT SHE BELIEVED THAT HONG KONG WOULD BE MORE STABLE WITH A SOUND DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM AND RULE OF LAW THAN WITHOUT THEM. THE JAPANESE HAD AGREED THAT PRESERVING HONG KONG'S IDENTITY WAS IN THEIR INTEREST BUT OTHERWISE DID NOT SUPPORT MCDOUGALL'S OUTSPOKEN STANCE.

2

PAGE RESTRICTED