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said that he would have to consult other interested parties, including his colleagues on the legal side and the Ministry of Justice who are responsible for the Department for Aliens here. In his own view however, there should be no difficulty in Denmark's treating holders of BN(0) passports in the same way as Hong Kong British Dependent Territories citizens are currently handled.
4. That gave me the opportunity to speak further on the lines of the speaking note enclosed with your letter of 23 September to certain Heads of Mission. Rechnagel took note but gave no commitment that visa requirements for visitors from Hong Kong with British passports would be lifted or that this would be done for holders of British of British passports in the new status of BN(0). This is not surprising. We have been in discussion with the Danish authorities for over a year now asking them to lift the visa requirement. Our exchanges were initially with the MFA but they recently asked us to pursue the matter direct with the Directorate of Aliens. This we have done and the Directorate owe us a reply which we shall chase.
5. You should note that the issue of refugees is one of particular sensitivity in Denmark at present. There has been a large influx of refugees in recent months and this has been much criticised from some quarters. As a result, the Danish government announced at the opening of the Folketing (Parliament) on 7 October that legislation would be introduced to tighten up the Aliens Act and in fact make visa or entry certificate a requirement for entry to the country by refugees. Rechnsgel said that when that legislation had been adopted and, by implication, when the tumult and shouting had died down it would be easier for the Danish government to look at requests such as we had made.
6. I told Rechnagel that I should be glad to try to answer any questions which, after studying the material I had left with him, he or his colleagues in the MFA elsewhere might have. If I could not myself provide the answer I would seek advice from those who could. I asked him, in any event, to let me know in due course whether the Danish government could agree to what we are asking.
ever
Your Hady
J W Hodge
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