5 RESTRICTED 134451 MDHIAN 3406 NBL 0202 701" RECEIVED IN RECISTRY 2 1 FEB 1989 O DIST? RESTRICTED FM MUSCAT TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 83 OF 211015Z FEBRUARY 89 DEKO INDEX me YOUR TELNO 79: MR WALDEGRAVE VISIT TO OMAN 1. AS WE TOLD COMPTON-BISHOP, MED, ON THE 'PHONE LAST WEEK, I WANTED TO GET A SENSE FROM YOUSUF ALAWI OF THE PRACTICALITIES OF A MAY VISIT BEFORE OFFERING FIRM ADVICE. 2. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO DO THIS YESTERDAY. IT SEEMED PRETTY CLEAR THAT A JOINT COMMISSION MEETING WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE BEFORE THE HEADS OF MISSION CONFERENCE AND A MEETING WITH THE SULTAN NOT AFTER IT. HE WAS RELAXED ABOUT THE IDEA OF AN 18-MONTH INTERVAL BETWEEN JOINT COMMISSION MEETINGS GIVEN THE OTHER POSSIBILITIES FOR HIGH LEVEL CONTACT ON POLITICAL AND REGIONAL ISSUES. 3. ON THIS BASIS I THINK WE SHOULD PUT OFF THE JOINT COMMISSION UNTIL THE AUTUMN. IT IS, I BELIEVE, PROVISIONALLY AGREED THAT MR YOUNGER WILL VISIT OMAN THIS AUTUMN AND WE SHALL NEED TO KEEP HIS VISIT AND MR WALDEGRAVE'S SENSIBLY SPACED. YOUSUF ALAWI WARNED ME THAT THE PERIOD FROM MID-SEPTEMBER TO THE END OF OCTOBER IS A BAD PERIOD FOR HIM WITH A SERIES OF INTER-ARAB MEETINGS AND A CUSTOMARY 2-3 WEEKS ABSENCE FOR UNGA AND BILATERAL CONSULTATIONS IN WASHINGTON. THE EARLY PART OF NOVEMBER BEFORE NATIONAL DAY (LATE NOVEMBER/EARLY DECEMBER) WOULD BE HIS PREFERRED WINDOW. IF THIS WAS POSSIBLE FOR MR WALDEGRAVE IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE TO LOOK TO THE PERIOD AFTER NATIONAL DAY (LATE NOVEMBER /EARLY DECEMBER) OR A LATE SEPTEMBER/EARLY OCTOBER DATE FOR MR YOUNGER. I HAVE NOT AT THIS STAGE SOUNDED OUT SAYYID FAHR ON HIS LIKELY PLANS BUT WE CAN ASSUME THAT THE SULTAN WILL BE BACK IN OMAN (THOUGH PROBABLY IN SALALAH) FROM SOME TIME IN AUGUST. ALSTON YYYY PAGE 1 RESTRICTED
