Mr Murray
CONFIDENTIAL
See separate minute
24/5
NKK 340!
75
DESK OF INDEX
CHANGES IN BRITISH NATIONALITY LAWS:
HONG KONG
He
1. I duly attended Mr Figg's meeting this afternoon. started from the premise that we must accept that the Home Office will never agree to the retention of the title CUKC and that the meeting's purpose therefore was to decide what alter- native title the FCO should press them to adopt for people with the right of abode in Dependent Territories. I made it clear that HKGD could not accept this premise: Mr Figg noted our reservation but was not prepared to enter into any discussion of Hong Kong's case.
2.
The general consensus of the meeting was that the formula "British citizen of .... [Gibraltar, Montserrat etc.]" was the most appropriate since it defined exactly where the rights of each of the people concerned lay. The Home Office have said that they do not like this formula but have never explained why. Mr Figg said that there was no reason why the FCO should not press them to change their mind. On behalf of Hong Kong, I pointed out that the Governor had described this formula as "disastrous". Nonetheless, I said that it was the one that we in the department believed to be second best to making no change at all - subject to there being no overriding political objection because of possible Chinese reaction.
3.
The paragraphs that I had drafted before the meeting for inclusion in a letter to the Home Office arguing the Hong Kong case had unfortunately not reached Mr Figg when the meeting began. He promised to consider them, and will discuss with you whether they can be used. I pointed out that we had given an undertaking to the Governor that the FCO would support Hong Kong's case as long as we could. That case has never been spelt out in detail to the Home Office (and it is clear from the correspondence that they do not really understand it). thought therefore that we ought not to give up yet.
23 August 1979
'W.E. Quantill
WE Quantrill
Hong Kong and General Department
I
(sice dictating the above, I have seen to Cradock's minute commenting on the Chinese angle, and apparently ruling out "British Citizen of Hong Kong").
CONFIDENTIAL