GRS 340
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
DD 20083OZ
FROM PEKING 20075OZ MAY 85
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 761 OF 20/5/85
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
ав
YOUR TELNO 414: HONG KONG AGREEMENT:
RATIFICATION
110
AKK 04/12!
2 0 MAY 1985
По
82
1. THANK YOU FOR THIS HELPFUL TELEGRAM, THE MAIN POINTS
OF WHICH WE EXPLAINED TO THE MFA AT ONCE. THEY WERE GRATEFUL. THEY SUBSEQUENTLY PROPOSED A FURTHER MEETING BETWEEN SMITH AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TREATY AND LAW, WHICH TOOK PLACE TODAY.
2. THE CHINESE SAID THAT THEY NOW UNDERSTOOD THAT ACCORDING TO OUR CONSTITUTIONAL PRACTICE THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD SIGN THE INSTRUMENT OF RATIFICATION FOR AN AGREEMENT SUCH AS THE JOINT DECLARATION AND NOT HM THE QUEEN. IN VIEW OF THIS THEY WISHED TO PROPOSE A SLIGHT MODIFICATION TO THE TEXT OF THE PROTOCOL OF EXCHANGE (PARAGRAPH 4 OF SMITH'S TELETTER OF 18 APRIL TO POWELL, HKD): THE LAST PART OF THE FIRST PARAGRAPH FOLLOWING THE WORDS' 'SIGNED AT BEIJING ON
19 DECEMBER, 1984 AND RATIFIED BY WOULD BE DELETED
AND REPLACED WITH THE TWO SIDES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE LEGAL PROCEDURES." THE CHINESE SUGGESTED A FURTHER MINOR CHANGE TO THE TEXT OF THE DRAFT PROTOCOL: THE ADDITION OF THE WORDS TO THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA'' TO THE FULL DESCRIPTION OF MY TITLE.
3. SMITH TOOK NOTE AND UNDERTOOK TO REFER THESE TWO PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO YOU. GRATEFUL TO KNOW DESKBY 21010OZ WHETHER THEY ARE ACCEPTABLE.
4. THE CHINESE SAID THAT CONSIDERATION HAD BEEN GIVEN TO OUR PREFERENCE FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT TO BE APPENDED TO THE CHINESE INSTRUMENT (POWELL'S TELELETTER OF 23 APRIL TO SMITH). IT HAD BEEN CONCLUDED HOWEVER THAT IT WOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATE TO DIFFER FROM NORMAL CHINESE PRACTICE ON THIS OCCASION AND ACCORDINGLY THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT (NOT) APPEND THE TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT TO THEIR INSTRUMENT. SMITH TOOK NOTE.
CONFIDENTIAL
15.