CONFIDENTIAL
unlikely that we should return unreservedly to the
pre-Tsoi position. Everything depends on how the
reservation works out in practice. If conflict is
to be avoided, then before you take any decision to
let the law take its course, you will need to be
absolutely certain of Ministers' views on current
circumstances in the UK and on the case in question,
and that these views will remain unchanged. This
implies a need for even closer liaison between us.
This we can achieve.
I fear there still remains in the background an
obvious possibility of difficulty if in a specific
case you decide that you could not, in the
circumstances of Hong Kong, grant a reprieve, despite
the probability of serious trouble in Parliament.
This could have all the serious consequences describe
in paragraph 5 of your telegram number 788. But at
this stage we can do no more than note the
importance of avoiding this situation; and I take it
that the argument that the worst thing for Hong Kong
would be a row in Parliament, would not be wholly
ineffective in Executive Council if it was used
early enough.
I imagine that you will want to show my other
letter to some of your senior advisers, including
members of Executive Council. This is why I have
split my comments in two. But this does bring up
the question of what, if anything, we should say in
CONFIDENTIAL
/public
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN