GRS 450
CONFIDENT HAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 07120OZ FCO
TELNO 56
OF 071055Z JANUARY 86
CONFIDENTIAL мин одоби
TOP COPY
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
8 JAN 1986
INFO DESKBY 08010OZ PEKING
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
21)(22
83
MY TELNOS 52, 53 AND 54: WHITE PAPER ON THE DRAFT NATIONALITY
ORDER
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(22
23
MY TELS NO 52, 53 AND 54 REPORT THE DISCUSSIONS IN EXCO THIS MORNING. MY FURTHER COMMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS.
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1. YOUR TEL NO 27 DOES NOT TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE NEW SITUATION HERE.. THE LETTER WHICH MISS DUNN WROTE TO MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT HAS THE UNANIMOUS SUPPORT OF ALL UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGILSATIVE COUNCIL AND, EVEN BEFORE THIS MORNING'S MEETING OF EXCO,
THE
SUPPORT OF THE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
IF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT MEANS ANYTHING IT MUST IN CONSEQUENCE
BE REGARDED AS FIRM ADVICE TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ON THE
WISHES OF THE COMMUNITY. FOLLOWING THIS MORNING'S MEETING OF THE
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AT WHICH THE POSITION OF THE UNOFFICIALS WAS SUPPORTED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, THERE ARE NO GROUNDS ON WHICH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT COULD DO OTHER THAN SUPPORT THE MOTION
ONLY IF THERE WERE OVER-RIDING (NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) HONG KONG GROUNDS FOR OPPOSING OR QUALIFYING SUCH A UNANIMOUS EXPRESSION OF STRONGLY HELD VIEWS COULD THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DEFEND A
FAILURE TO URGE ON HMG WHAT THE UNOFFICIALS HAVE ASKED.
2. THE GROUNDS ON WHICH OBJECTION IS BEING RAISED ARE MOREOVER UNITED KINGDOM ARGUMENTS WHICH WERE NOT (NOT) ACCEPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. THE COUNCIL DO NOT AGREE THAT IT IS
IMPOSSIBLE TO DEVISE A FORMULA SUBSTANTIALLY ON THE LINES WE HAVE
PROPOSED WHICH COULD BE ENDORSED IN THE PASSPORT WITHOUT THE DIFFICULTIES YOU RAISE. YOU WILL SEE THAT THEY TAKE THE VIEW THAT ANY POSSIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING COULD BE REMOVED BY ISSUING AN EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM WITH THE PASSPORT AS REGARDS THE STATUS OF BONAFIDE VISITORS. IF THIS WERE DONE THERE COULD BE NO BASIS FOR
AN ACCUSATION THAT TRAVELLERS HAD BEEN MISLED.
3. ONCE MORE MUST EXPRESS THE HOPE THAT MINISTERS WILL BE READY TO LOOK AT THIS QUESTION AGAIN. AS I HAVE SAID IN MY EARLIER
TELEGRAM THIS HAS BECOME MORE THAN A TECHNICAL PROBLEM: IT HAS BECOME A SYMBOLIC TEST OF HMG'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS HONG KONG AND IF THE IDEA OF AN ENDORSEMENT IS TURNED DOWN THERE WILL BE SERIOUS
DISILLUSIONMENT HERE.
CONFIDENTIAL
4).
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