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CONFIDENTIAL
Secretary of State
122
Can I Be filcare What-
- akAmex A
hi Reffion said
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HONG KONG/E.E.C.: GENERALISED PREFERENCE SCHEME
You will remember that you discussed this
subject with Murray MacLehose recently. I
mentioned to you then that the Department was
divided. The European section did not want us to
make an approach to the Community whilst the Far
Eastern section strongly recommended that we
should carry out Geoffrey Rippon's promise by
making an approach as soon as possible.
The problem is further complicated by the
probable visit by the Prime Minister to Hong Kong
(on his way back from China) in January next year.
If the Government were to take a decision not to
approach the European Community on Hong Kong's
behalf, the Prime Minister would almost certainly
be faced with embarrassing questions in Hong Kong
and there might well be allegations of "breaking
trust".
I held a meeting last week, attended by
Mr. Robinson, Mr. Youde, Mr. Butler and Mr. Stuart,
to see if a compromise could be achieved between
the two viewpoints.
However, it became clear that
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CONFIDENTIAL
/compromise