HMG RESPONSE TO CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT (CD) DEMARCHE ON DELAY OF START OF WORK IN THE CD

1. (C/NF) Judith Gough (protect), Deputy Head of the
Security Policy Group at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(FCO), told Poloff July 28 that "in principle, we're
absolutely in agreement" with the U.S. on the importance of a
demarche to China and Pakistan urging those countries to
allow substantive work to proceed in the Conference on
Disarmament (CD), (Ref). Indeed, she said that the British
Embassy in Beijing had demarched the Chinese July 28 and that
the initial readout from the meeting "was not particularly
promising." She said the next step would be to raise "at
three" (U.S., UK, and France) with the Chinese in Geneva but,
if the result of that demarche proves unfavorable, the UK
would be "minded to raise the demarche to a more senior
level," possibly the Ambassadorial level. Gough said that
the UK was inclined not to demarche Pakistan immediately,
since "if we get a positive Chinese response, Pakistan will
(probably) fall into line." Gough stated that in HMG's view
it makes sense from a "tactical standpoint" to focus first on
China, then on Pakistan.

2. (C/NF) In an earlier, separate conversation with Poloff
on July 28, Sunil Sood (protect), Nuclear and UN Disarmament
Desk Officer in the FCO's Security Policy Group, confirmed
that HMG was eager to coordinate with the U.S. on demarching
China and Pakistan. He noted that in Geneva the Australian
current CD Presidency was working on a compromise text; Sood
said he believed that Australia had not yet approached China
or Pakistan with a compromise text.

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