T
67
HILL cad so
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
17 SEP 1984
SECRET
DESK OFFICE A
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
AEGISTRY
142114
GPS 370
SECRET
DESKBY 150900Z FCO AND HONG KONG
FROM PEKING 1507212 SEP 84
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 2358 OF 13 SEPTEMBER
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
62
YOUR TELNOS 1827 AND U/N: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: WHITE PAPER.
1. I HAVE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON THE REVISED TEXT IN
SECOND TUR.
(A)
1 NOTE YOUR LEGAL ADVISERS VIEW THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION
**INCLUDES THE THREE ANNEXES' PARAGRAPH 2(A) OF FIRST TUR. I
HAVE DISCUSSED THIS POINT FURTHER WITH BURROWS AND WILSON.
THE LANGUAGE OF PARAGRAPHS 7 AND 8 OF THE JOINT DECLARATION,
AGREED DURING YOUR VISIT, LEAVES IT OPEN TO THE CHINESE, OR .
CTHERS, TO ARGUE, (ALTHOUGH THE CONTRARY IS OF COURSE ALSO
ARGUABLE) THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE ANNEXES ARE SEPARATE
DOCUMENTS WHICH ARE EQUALLY FINDING. IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES WE
SHOULD BE UNABLE CLEARLY TO REFUTE THIS ARGUMENT BY
POINITING TO ANYTHING IN THE JOINT DECLARATION CORRESPONDING
TO THE CLAUSE WHICH COMMONLY APPEARS IN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS
TO THE EFFECT THAT THE ANNEXES TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE AN
INTEGRAL PART THEREOF. IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES I CONTINUE
TO BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD BE SAFER FOR REFERENCES IN THE WHITE
PAPER (E.G. IN PARAGRAPHS 1 AND 19) TO BE TO A JOINT DECLARATION
AND ITS ANNEXES.
(ૐ) PARAGRAPH 4: I SUGGEST THAT THE REFERENCE TO MACAU BE
DELETED AND THE FIRST SENTENCE TO BE REDRAFTED TO READ AS
FOLLOWS:
IT WAS THAT HONG KONG BELONGED TO THE
CATEGORY OF UNEQUAL TREATIES LEFT OVER BY HISTORY:
THAT THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG SHOULD BE SETTLED
PEACEFULLY THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS WHEN CONDITIONS WERE RIPE:....
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