141.
fear
CONFIDENTIAL
UNITED KINGDOM MISSION
Dear Bob,
37-39 rue de Vermont, 1202 GENEVA Telex: 22956
Telegrams: Prodrome, Geneva Telephone: 34.38.00, 33.23.85-
3 December, 1969.
Roderick Abbott has shown me your letter to him of 27 November on textiles, and the minute enclosed with it. One point which ́interests me particularly is paragraph 7 of your minute, where you suggest that the Hong Kong point of view on extending the Cotton Textiles Arrangement to cover non-cottons might have to be expressed by Hong Kong "in Geneva" since you see. little chance of reconciling the Hong Kong and United Kingdom views. I take it that the suggestion implies that the Hong Kong representative would put the Hong Kong view forward in the Cotton Textiles Committee or in whatever other multilateral forum the question is raised. Up till now, it is true, we have been able to get along on this kind of basis; and in consequence we have not needed to codify too precisely the rules and practices to be adopted for Hong Kong views to be expressed in the international organisations with which the Colony is directly concerned. But this has been possible largely because no fundamental differences of view have emerged or have failed to be reconciled in London. If, however we are now contemplating a situation, or series of situations, where reconciliation is impossible, I fear we must look again at the whole måtter so far at least as concerns Geneva procedures.
2. There is nothing in the Directive, or terms of reference, which was drawn up when Derek Jones was attached to this Mission as Counsellor (Hong Kong Affairs) to say whether the Hong Kong representative should speak in international organisations.
In practice, as you know, he does speak, as a member of the U.K. delegation, on matters which are of interest to Hong Kong but not to the United Kingdom;
oldsmith, Esq., Board of Trade
LONDON, S.W.1.
R
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