CONFIDENTIAL
Teliii
24 April, 1969.
UNCTED:
Att Preferences
Thank you for your letter GVA/10/8/1 of 16 April about the Hong Kong aspects of the UNCTAD Preferences question.
2. I have had a word with Tran and he would be delighted to have a chance to talk to you further about the technicalities of the proposals he is preparing. He will not be in Genera for the Special Committee on Preferences but he will be therefor "the meeting of the Trade and Devel-
I have told him that you will get in con- opment Board from 5-30 May.
tact with him then, either at the meetings or at his office in Geneva (Tel. 31.83.30). Í have not made any of the detailed points contained in the enclosure to your letter since I thought these would be better discussed when you see Tran yourself.
3. "ran made it clear that his work was not progressing fast at the moment mainly because there was not any great urgency so long as the Americans did not put in an offer and the general discussion of the
He did not anticipate the need proposed soheme did not move forward.
to see me again before seeing you in. Geneva but on that occasion he would bring you fully up to date on the state of is work.
4. I also discussed with Tran the desirability of cur bringing press- ure to bear from the outside. to achieve a change in the Commission's We agreed that present overtly negative attitude towards Hong Kong. there was clearly nothing to be done until he was realy with his proposals. But when these proposals were ready within the Commission, it could well be that. their acceptance would be facilitated by an indication from us that we wished to talk informal with the Commissior in order to try to find a mutually agreeable solution to the Hong Kong question.
5. It was left that Tran would go ahead with his discussions with you on the technicalities of his proposal. And he would let me know if and when he thought the moment was ripe to get the di culsion on a more formal level. Meanwhile, I undertook to put to Goldsmith, to whom I an sending a copy of this letter, the idea that we might, at some later ctage, approach the Commission in the way surgested.
oc.B. Fall Esq., UKmis Geneva
R..Goldsmith Esq., Board of Trade
D.J.C. Jones, Esq.,
Counsellor Hong Kong Affairs,
U.K. Mission,
GENEVA
(D.H.A.Hannay)