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United Kingdom Mission

Reisnerstrasse 40 A-1030 Vienna

Telephone 73 15 75-79

TN Young Esq

NED

FCO

HICK 166/

Dear Jom

UMELCO VISIT

Your reference

Our reference

Разувид

рас

415

11 August 1986

1 4 AUG 1986

Date

DET

W

1 During the recent visit by the UMELCO delegation from Hong Kong two points arose which are worth recording but did not warrant inclusion in the earlier telegram.

2

The first was that over lunch three members of the delegation (Tam, Cheng, and Hilton) questioned whether dependant territories sent representatives to UN meetings in Vienna. Mr Wilmshurst's response was that it was not usual but that Hong Kong had in the past sent a representative to talks dealing with narcotics. It therefore appears possible that there may be a request to include a Hong Kong delegate in IAEA meetings if the nuclear question remains a major one in Hong Kong.

3 The second point was the reason given by Morris Rosen (only just back from Moscow) for the Chernobyl accident. He explained that a fire in the "large quantities" of flammable material above the reactor had eventually caused the 100 ton refuelling machine to collapse which had then resulted in further damage. This was put forward in such a way as to compare the accident with a "conventional" industrial accident. This may well be the line that the Soviets plan to pursue. what the large quantities of flammable material were, however, was not clarified.

cc HKD, FCO

PH Agrell Esq, AE2 Div, D/Energy The Governor's Office, HONG KONG

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Yours

твое

ecer

M G Ogden

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