PS/Lud Tway youre
Ilink ME Donald will
wish to comment seperately
Mr. Do
· Donald.
CONFIDENTIAL
Ра
HKCK
371
2014
340/1
RECEIVED MYND. $1 ? 9 SEP 1981
VIZEK METE OKart
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
Action Taken
[NATIONALITY BILL: GIBRALTAR, HONG KONG AND THE FALKLAND
ISLANDS]
1. I should like to get this to PS/Lord Trefgarne by close of play if possible. 540 372
2.
The submission does not reflect Lord Trefgarne's feelings on tactics as Mr. Rickett has described them to me. As I understand it, the Minister would prefer to resist any Hong Kong Amendment at Lords Report stage while having up our sleeve a cleared counter Amendment for introduction at Lords Third Reading or in the Commons if this seems desirable.
Seel 373
3. In support of Lord Trefgarne's view, if I have interpreted him correctly, there is my primitive feeling that, in the matter of Hong Kong, it is better to reserve any further concessions to the last moment. There is, alongside that, my fear that the Governor, despite the last paragraph of your draft telegram to him, will get into a negotiation with EXCO of the kind we have seen before where EXCO pocket the concession and ask for more.
4.
I think the best procedure, if Ministers agree, would be for them (i.e. Lord Trefgarne and the Lord Privy Seal) to agree to an office meeting early next week to consider this question. Officials could then redraft very quickly to take account of their instructions.
5. Even if the content of the letter to Mr. Raison remained much as in the present draft, it will in my view need more argumentation as to why a further concession to Hong Kong is necessary: Home Office Ministers are not, I suspect, feeling very charitable to Hong Kong in this context.
6.
(A word on the Falkland Islands. The position of officials concerned with their interests is, I believe, that they see no reason for a concession to the Islanders if we can slap down Gibraltar, but that if the Gibraltar concession is not overturned in the Commons, then the Falkland Islands will have to be allowed something equivalent.)
NJA
W.J. Adams
25 September 1981
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