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ONI SOIN
From the Director B E Furmston BSc FRICS
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
DIRECTORATE OF OVERSEAS SURVEYS Kingston Road Tolworth Surbiton Surrey KT5 9NS
Telephone 01-337 8661/7 ext 202
P J Williamson
Hong Kong and General Department Room K247
Foreign and Commonwealth Office King Charles Street
LONDON
SW1
Dear Wiliamson,
АКК 02211
74e
Original at:
This Copy for:
Information only / Action on Para(s)
Your reference
Our reference
242/243/15
Date
5 June 1981
10TH UN CARTOGRAPHIC CONFERENCE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 1983
3 HKK 02211
RA
Mas
John Gambold wrote to you on 2 Jan concerning overture s which had been made about the possibility of holding the above conference in Hong Kong. You replied on 11 Feb 1981.
Although I have had no direct information, I have now learnt from Australian colleagues that, at the meeting of ECOSOC in New York last month, it was agreed that the 10th UN Cartographic Conference will be held in Bangkok in the first quarter of 1983.
So the overtures on Hong Kong lapse.
With 1983 settled in this way the next Regional Conference in that Region will not be until at least 1986. Despite some opposition from Australia, at least, the Secretary-General was requested to assess the desirability and feasibility of an "inter-regional" (or world) conference and to report in 1984. The fears of Australia are based on the probability that such a mammoth conference will be very expensive to arrange, will duplicate other meetings of international professional, scientific and technical organisation and could well squeeze out the smaller developing countries who are, or should be, the beneficiaries of the present system. If such an 'inter-regional' conference should nevertheless be held it is most unlikely that it could be staged except in a major centre in a developed nation.
Yours sincerely
BE FURMSTON
amston.
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