RESTRICTED
OCMIAN 7462
RESTRICTED
OO HOKON
FM FCOLN TO HOKON
081000Z OCT
GRS 270
HKK
RECL
0111
14 CCT 1986
RESTRICTED
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 2173
DES
IN (EX
PA
MEGISTRY
Action Taken
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
OF 08100OZ OCTOBER 86
385
67462 1
-
386
YOUR TELNO 3272 (NOT TO PEKING) AND PEKING TELNO 1880: HONG KONG
MONITOR: 1987 REVIEW
1.
THE EMILY LAU STORY MAY WELL BE PRETTY OLD HAT BY NOW AND
IT MAY BE THAT NEWS DEPARTMENT AND GIS CAN GET AWAY WITH THE
MINIMALIST LINE PROPOSED.
2.
BUT THE UNDERLYING ISSUE MUST BE ONE VERY MUCH UNDER
DISCUSSION IN HONG KONG, AND THERE IS A WHOLE RANGE OF RELATED
QUESTIONS WHICH THE SECRETARY OF STATE COULD FACE AT HIS PRESS
CONFERENCE. WE DOUBT WHETHER THE QUESTIONERS WOULD BE SATISFIED
WITH THE STATEMENT THAT IT IS TOO EARLY TO CONSIDER IN DETAIL HOW
THE REVIEW WILL BE HANDED. MOREOVER THIS REPLY LEAVES OPEN THE
IMPLICATION THAT WE MAY INDEED BE PREPARED TO GIVE THE CHINESE A
VETO (OR SOMETHING CLOSE TO IT) OVER THE OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW.
3.
WITH THAT IN MIND, WE HAVE PUT INTO THE SECRETARY OF
STATE'S PRESS BRIEF A SLIGHTLY LONGER LINE, AS FOLLOWS:
QUOTE. WILL OUTCOME OF 1987 REVIEW BE DISCUSSED WITH
CHINESE?
REVIEW IS A MATTER FOR HMG AND HKG. BUT NATURALLY WE
WILL HAVE IN MIND NEED FOR COMPATIBILITY WITH
ARRANGEMENTS TO BE SET OUT BY CHINESE GOVERNMENT IN BASIC
1
RESTRICTED
387
See
388