CODE 18 77
UNCLASSIFIED
Reference
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Mr Healy (ESSD E012)
HONG KONG: ATTENDANCE AT THE ASIAN PACIFIC POSTAL UNION
(8)
1. I am replying to your minute of 8 July to Mr Bridges. I can see no reason to object to a Hong Kong delegate attending the regional meetings, provided the Secretariat agree. I think, however, that in order to avoid problems or misunderstandings of the sort which Mr Cawthorne forsees we should make it very clear that what is being proposed is not that Hong Kong should attend the regional meetings but that the UK should send an observer, (albeit one from Hong Kong). I view of the 1975 precedent, I do not think this should present any problems.
2.
Mr Cawthorne points out that the offer extended for the 1975 Congress was not specific to Hong Kong. The position has changed since 1975, as several of our than Dependent Territories in the region have become independent. Hong Kong is now our only remaining dependency in the Asian Area, and in the Pacific area there is only Pitcairn, which with a population of less than 50 is unlikely to wish to send a delegate.
3. It is not clear from these papers whether the Political Adviser's Office in Hong Kong have been consulted on this. Perhaps you could copy your reply to Mr Cawthorne's letter to Richard Margolis, the Deputy Political Adviser, for his comments.
15 July 1982
C G Edgar
Hong Kong & General Department WH312 233.4828
HITG 20.
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