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6.
CONFIDENTIAL
THE PORTUGUESE SAID THEY HAD STILL NOT DECIDED WHAT STATUS
TO SEEK FOR MACAU AND WERE CONSULTING AUTHORITIES THERE. HANNAY MADE CLEAR THAT IT WOULD CREATE A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR US IF MACAU WERE GIVEN DIFFERENT TREATMENT FROM HONG KONG (GSP BENIFICIARY AND NO SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY) AND SAID THAT, BEFORE PORTUGUESE MADE ANY APPROACH IN BRUSSELS ABOUT MACAU'S
STATUS IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THEY COULD DISCUSS MATTER WITH US. WHILE MARTA TALKED VAGUELY OF POSSIBLY SEEKING OVERSEAS TERRITORY STATUS, SALGUEIRO SEEMED TO TAKE THE POINT ABOUT HONG KONG AND UNLIKELIHOOD OF COMMUNITY AGREEING TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT FOR MACAU. HE AGREED THEY WOULD BE IN TOUCH WHEN THEY HAD CLEARED THE IR
MINDS.
7. WE REITERATED GENERAL OFFER MADE DURING YOUR VISIT IN JUNE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR OWN EXPERIENCE ON JOINING THE COMMUNITY AND ON OPERATION OF THE VARIOUS FUNDS, INTEGRATION INTO COMMUNITY LEGISLATION, ETC., AND SAID WE WOULD DO OUR BEST TO ARRANGE USEFUL CONTACTS FOR PORTUGUESE OFFICIALS IN LONDON ONCE THE PORTUGUESE HAD ESTABLISHED THEIR PRIORITIES. SALGUEIRO SAID MARTA WOULD BE IN TOUCH WITH ME ABOUT THIS AND VERY MUCH WELCOMED OUR
OFFER. HE AND HIS OFFICIALS MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY WANTED TO TAP
OUR EXPERIENCE AND ADVICE. I HOPE WE SHALL BE ABLE TO GET MARTA
TO LONDON FAIRLY SOGN.
FCO PLEASE PASS SAVING TO PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR HONG KONG AND
OTHER EC CAPITALS.
BYATT
FRAME EXTERNAL ECD (E) SED
PASSED AS REQUESTED]
2 CONFIDENTIAL