CONFIDENTIAL
GRS 246
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY 300100Z
FM FCO 291845Z NOV 82
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1007 OF 29 NOVEMBER
39116 2
HKK340/
AF10/12
250
PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM CLIFT
YOUR TELNO 1400 BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT
1.
по
huppi3
10/12
1. FACSIMILE OF LORD ELTON'S STATEMENT IN THE LORDS ON BEHALF
OF HMG IS BEING SENT TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE REFER
ENQUIRERS TO THIS.
2. IN EXCO TOMORROW PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING
LINE BASED ON POINTS IN LORD ELTON'S SPEECH. HE RECALLED THAT
THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT IN NO WAY WEAKENS THE CONSTITUTIONAL
RELATIONSHIP OF THE UNITED KINGDOM WITH ANY DEPENDENT TERRITORY
AND HE REPEATED THE SPECIFIC ASSURANCE IN PARAGRAPH 16 OF THE
WHITE PAPER PUBLISHED IN JULY 1980 TO THAT EFFECT. IN THE
CIRCUMSTANCES HMG SAW THE PROPOSED FALKLAND ISLANDS AMENDMENT
AS LOGICALLY UNNECESSARY.
THEY RECOGNISED THAT IT COULD ESTABLISH A MISLEADING
PRECEDENT BY MAKING ONE CATEGORY OF FORMER CUKCS A SPECIAL CASE.
HOWEVER, HMG ALSO RECOGNISED THAT LOGIC WAS NOT ENOUGH IN THE
CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDERS.
*
SINCE THE HOUSE MIGHT CONSIDER THAT THERE WAS A WHOLLY
EXCEPTIONAL CASE THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT (NOT) ASK THE HOUSE TO
RESIST THE BILL. SINCE IT CONTAINED A NUMBER OF TECHNICAL
WEAKNESSES THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE PREPARED TO GIVE HELP WITH
THE DRAFTING OF AMENDMENTS IF IT WERE GIVEN A SECOND READING.
3. IF PRESSED YOU COULD OF COURSE ASSURE MEMBERS THAT MINISTERS
WERE FULLY BRIEFED ON IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG AND OTHER
TERRITORIES. IT WAS PURELY THE EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH
DECIDED THE ISSUE.
PYM
LIMITED HKE ID NTD FED
MRDONALD
1
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