68 450
PRIORITY
CYPHER CAT A
CONFIDENTIAL
FROM LISBON 2015452 JULY
CO
DENTIAL
TO PRIORITY FCO TEL NO 245 OF 20 JULY
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG AND PEKING.
H.KK 040
? 1 JUL 1978
PA
Sex 68
67
136
59
MY TELNO 231, HONG KONG TELS NOS 833 AND 897, AND PEKING TEL NO 424:
HONG KONG AND MACAU.
THERE IS OF COURSE NO ELEMENT OF DOUBT ABOUT THE DATE OF THE CHINESE REMARQ WHICH WEREVLADE IN THE COURSE OF THE RECENT TALKS IN PARIS. 1 DISCUSSED THIS WITH POLITICAL DIRECTOR AT
FA LAST NIGHT. HE SAID THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO FURTHER MEETINGS IN PARIS SINCE THE FOREIGN MINISTER'S TALKS WITH YOU AND NO INSTRUCTIONS HAD AS YET BEEN SENT TO THE PORTUGUESE AMBASSADOR IN PARIS. DR SA MACHADO WAS CONSIDERING VERY CAREFULLY HOW TO PLAY THE HAND IN THE LIGHT OF YOUR ADVICE,
.
2. WHAT THE CHINESE HAD SAID WAS THAT THEY WELCONED THE PORTUGUESE 1975 STATEMENT BUT THEY THEN WENT ON TO SAY THAT THEY WONDERED WHETHER THE PORTUGUESE MIGHT PERHAPS DE PREPARED TO GO A LITTLE FURTHER BY SAYING THAT THEY RECOGNISED THAT MACAU WAS** CHINGSE TERRITORY. DR SA MACHADO'S INCLINATION WAS TO INSTRUCT HIS AMBASSADOR TO SAY AT THE NEXT MEETING SIMPLY THAT THE PORT- UGUESE HAD TAKEN NOTE THAT THE CHINESE WERE SATISFIED WITH WHAT THEY HAD SAID ABOUT MACAU (IN 1973) AND TO LEAVE IT AT THAT, IE IN EFFECT TO IGNORE THE CHINESE ENQUIRY ABOUT WHETHER THEY WERE PREPARED TO GO ANY FURTHER. THE CHINESE HAD SUGGESTED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A PROCES VERBAL OF THE FIMAL CONVERSATION I REPEATED THAT OUR IN WHICH EACH SIDE WOULD STATE ITS VIEWS,
BELIEF WAS THAT THE CHINESE WERE WELL CONTENT WITH THE STATUS QUO BOTH IN HONG KONG AND MACAU AND THAT IT SEEMED TO US THAT T WOULD BE BEST FOR THE PORTUGUESE TO IGNORE THE CHINESE FEELER. DR VILLAS-BOAS PROMISED TO LET ME KNOW WHEN A DECISION HAD BEEN TAKEN OR WHEN THERE WERE ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS.
CONFIDENTIAL
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3. FROM WHAT
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