CONFIDENTIAL
United Kingdom Delegation
Raft
To the North Atlantic Council OTAN/NATO 1110 Brussels
Telephone 242.67.75
ん
we
630
Hız
Your reference
W Morris Esq
Hong Kong Department
FCO
Our reference
022/508/1
Date 5 December 1983
Das Wannich
MKKC040 5
RECEIVED IN HEGISTRY
BEL
7 - 1983
TH
ken
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: NATO EXPERT WORKINGGROUP ON ASTA
476 1.
In your letter HKF 040/5 to me of 28 October you noted that there had been some unhappiness at the Asia expert working group in September that we had not been able to say more on the subject of Hong Kong's future. You asked to be warned in advance if the subject appeared likely to come up at future NATO meetings so that an appropriate line could be prepared.
2. At the time the expert working group's report was taken by the Council we were in touch with you about briefing and agreed that the material enclosed with your letter would suffice. In the event the Council's discussion was a hurried one and the subject of Hong Kong did not come up.
3. The question is likely next to arise when the expert working group meets again on 15-17 February. The International Staff will, as usual, have to prepare a draft report for consideration at this meeting and calls for national contributions to provide material for this draft can be expected to go out shortly. You may like to consider whether we should offer a contribution on Hong Kong. This could have both the tactical advantage of providing the report's language on Hong Kong, and thus the basis for any discussion, and the strategic advantage of establishing a line on Hong Kong in a NATO forum. In considering this you will want to bear in mind that in formal terms the reports are produced on the experts own responsibålity, although in practice the experts are generally seen as speaking for their governments.
CMJ Segar Esq, SEAD
PAB Thomson Esq, FED
GG Wetherell Esq, Defence Dept.
еши
вым
R J ALSTON
CONFIDENTIAL