CONFIDENTIAL
The Bill does not deal with the question of who will sit on the
Joint Liaison Group.
During
the parliamentary debate on the
agreement there was pressure to include Unofficial Members of the
Hong Kong Executive and Legislative Councils on the Group. We took the line that Hong Kong Government officials would sit on the Group,
and that we would consult fully with Unofficials in Hong Kong, but
that this was a diplomatic body and it would not be appropriate for
Unofficials to sit on it. We can expect pressure for Unofficials to
sit on the Group to continue, although strictly speaking it is not
relevant to the Bill.
We might also face questions about the work of the Joint Liaison Group, and its influence on the administration of Hong Kong. The working procedures of the Joint Liaison Group remain to be discussed
with the Chinese. The agreement makes clear, however, that the Joint Liaison Group is not an organ of power and will play no part in Hong Kong's administration.
Another suggestion made during the Parliamentary debate was that
Parliament should hold an
annual debate on the work of the Joint
Liaison Group. Ministers took the line then and on subsequent
occasions that accountability
accountability to Parliament
to Parliament is important, as will be
the interest shown in Hong Kong by Parliament itself. But they have
not committed themselves to any set timetable for Parliamentary
debate.
It is possible that the inclusion of this
this provision in the Bill might prompt an attack on the extension of diplomatic privileges and immunities in general. In response we should make it clear that the
Vienna Convention is an essential element in the conduct of foreign
relations. Any suggestion that the immunities conferred by the Convention should be restricted should be considered in light of the
vulnerability of many British Embassies overseas in countries which
are hostile towards us or in which the rule of law is not firmly
established.
There was
no controversy over this clause in the House of Commons.
CONFIDENTIAL