Record of Premier Zhou Enlai’s Fourth Conversation with Guinea’s Minister of Posts and Communications Minister Diop

Secret Document 838

Foreign Ministry File

Record of Premier Zhou Enlai’s Fourth Conversation with Guinea’s Minister of Posts and Communications Minister [Alhassane] Diop

(Premier has yet to review and approve)

Time: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 3 September 1965

Place: Fujian Hall, Great Hall of the People

Guinean side in attendance: Boubacar Bah [transliterated], director, Office of Industrial Coordination, Ministry of Economic Development; Ibrahim Youla [transliterated], deputy engineer, Ministry of Posts and Communications; Ambassador Camara Mamady

Our side in attendance: Minister Zhu Xuefan, Vice Minister Zhong Fuxiang, Committee Member Chang Yanqing, Ambassador Chai Zemin, Vice Minister Zhou Hanshi, Deputy Department Director Hou Yefeng

Interpreter: Xu Weiqin

Recorders: Huang Zhengyou, Lu Dajun

Summary

Premier Zhou discussed two issues:

I. From the perspective of summarizing experience, he outlined the characteristics of our country's three periods of construction.

II. Relating the Vietnam issue and that of Sino-Soviet differences, he elaborated on our positions on several issues relating to the Asian-African Conference:

1. The Summit Conference of African States and the Second Asian-African Conference should promote each other. They should not obstruct one another. Both conferences have to succeed. They must not fail. If the Summit Conference of African States affected the Asian-African Conference, would this not possibly split the Asian and African countries?  The Premier expressed his very poor impression in regard to the joint communique of the Soviet Union and the United Arab Republic (UAR) and point outed that the communique’s tone is completely similar to that of Belgrade’s 17-nation letter of appeal,[Josip Broz] Tito, and [Lal Bahadur] Shastri. [Gamel Abdel] Nasser abandoned his promise to us.

2. The Premier pointed out that the two conditions proposed in the Soviet-UAR communique for resolving the Vietnam issue are exactly what the United States is demanding, which is to check the Vietnamese people’s army. The Soviet-UAR communique has revealed that the Soviet Union’s new leadership is still implementing Khrushchev’s policy of revisionism and selling out the Vietnamese people. The three major issues of the Vietnamese people to resolve are: (1) the United States must withdraw all its armed forces from south Vietnam; (2) the United States must stop its aggression against the whole of Vietnam; (3) the United States must let the Vietnamese people themselves resolve their own issues. If one does not emphasize these three points, one is far from supporting the National Liberation Movement. If one does not support Vietnam, is there still some need to hold the Asian-African Conference? The Premier expressed his indignation regarding the communique signed by the UAR, a great African nation, and the Soviet Union, a great socialist nation. The Premier explained in detail that the United States has used various methods to defraud the peace talks and put a harness on each country of the world, with Asian and African countries to be the first to wear it.

3. The Premier pointed out that the Soviet Union at each occasion customarily assumes a low profile. The attitude of the Soviet Union is convenient for US imperialism in promoting peace talks. The Soviet-UAR communique’s tone is unacceptable to us. Precisely for this reason, we now have all the more reason to oppose all the more resolutely the Soviet Union’s participation in the Asian-African Conference. The Premier refuted Nasser’s support in the Soviet-UAR communique for the Soviet Union’s participation in the Asian-African Conference and thought it a fallacy that the Soviet Union’s participation could facilitate the Asian-African Conference's proceeding smoothly, and pointed out that Nasser had taken the initiative and gone back on his promise.

4. The Premier explained that puppet regimes cannot participate in the Asian-African Conference and the package resolution method of the seven puppet regimes.

5. The Premier pointed out that the Asian-African Conference has from the start had nothing to do with the United Nations. To enter into contact with the United Nations now would be a total mistake. The countries of Asia and Africa support the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter. That is another matter. The United Nations Charter also contains some things that are just. What we oppose is the organization of the United Nations and its actions. The United Nations thinks to use a method of improvement, adding several seats for Asian and African countries on the Security Council to defraud the trust of Asian and African countries. We think that the United Nations should admit its error and completely reorganize.

Diop said that he was a little surprised by the Soviet-UAR communique and Ghana’s attitude. He said that Ghana’s reason for proposing to delay the Asian-African Conference was fundamentally insufficient.  Diop spoke of his impressions regarding his visit to our country and praised our accomplishments.