CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
Ale 040/5
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 29 DEC 1983
DESK OFFICER
Telephone 01-
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
664)
RJ Alston Esq
United Kingdom Delegation
NATO
Brussels
Your reference
Our reference
HKK 040/5
Date
20 December 1983
630
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: NATO EXPERT WORKING GROUP ON ASIA.
1.
Thank you for your letter 022/508/1 of 5 December warning of the next meeting in February. It is helpful to know how these things work.
2. We consider, on further reflection, that it is too early to think of briefing our NATO partners, or establishing a line on Hong Kong as soon as February 1984. On the other hand I can see that if we do nothing at all we risk causing further unhappiness or unprepared and unhelpful discussion/speculation.
3.
On balance therefore we think it would be best if you or someone else from UKDEL could have a private word with the International Staff before they put out a call for contributions, undertaking, if they would like, to supply a brief contribution on Hong Kong nearer the time of the meeting. This contribution would be pretty bland and would, we suggest, be accompanied by a statement which our representative could make, saying that we were not yet in a position to brief our NATO allies, but would of course look forward to doing so when the time was ripe.
W Morris
Hong Kong Departmer
cc: Mr Thomson (FED K258)
Mr Segar (SEAS W86a)
Mr Wetherell (DEFENCE E313)
Mr Longmire (Research OAB 2/125)
See tikko40/15
© 1904
CONFIDENTIAL