GRS 420
EN CLAIR
FM HONG KONG 2808457
UNCLASSIFIED
Race & REGISTRY NO. ST 29 APR 1977 токково/у
TO ROUTINE F C O TELEGRAM NO 425 OF 28 APRIL INFO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
YOUR TELEGRAM NO 306 OF 27.4.77.
HEUNG YEE KUK VISIT.
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REF.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS HAVE CONTINUED REPORTING THE MEETING BETWEEN MINISTER AND THE HEUNG YEE KUK AND EMPHASISING THE PROMISE OF DIRECT CONTACT IN THE FUTURE. EXTRACTS APPEAR BELOW. CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS HAVE MERELY REPORTED THE MEETING, PARTICIPANTS, AND DETAILS OF THE PETITION.
2. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST TODAY REPORTED AS FOLLOWS:-
''LONDON, APR. 27. THE VISITING HEUNG YEE KUK DELEGATION TODAY SET OUT ON FACT-FINDING TOUR OF LONDON, WITH THE PRIORITY GIVEN TO STUDYING THE PLANNING OF NEW TOWNS AND THE NEW VICTORIA UNDERGROUND RAILWAY, THE MOST MODERN IN
THE WORLD.
THE DELEGATION HAS BEEN GIVEN A PLEDGE BY THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE FOREIGN OFFICE, LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS, THAT IN FUTURE THEY CAN MAKE DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES WITH THE FOREIGN OFFICE IN WHITEHALL. IN A 90-MINUTE INTERVIEW UNUSUALLY LONG FOR A DELEGATION THE MINISTER SHOWED SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING, SAID THE DEPUTATION LEADER, MR CHEUNG YAN-LUNG.
MR CHEUNG SAID THE PROMISE OF DIRECT ACCESS TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT MEANS THE VOICE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL BE LISTENED TO ON ALL ISSUES.''
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