RESTRICTED
HKB
RECEIVED IN
400
TRY
22 MAR 1990
FICEH
LACT it
RESTRICTED
FM CARACAS
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 80
OF 19143OZ MARCH 1990
AND TO DESKBY 20010OZ HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE PEKING
107
110
100241 MDHIAN 1938
HONG KONG TELNO 918: ACTING CONSUL GENERAL OF VENEZUELA
1 I SPOKE TO THE ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER TAYLHARDAT, ON 16 MARCH, AS REQUESTED IN TUR. I GAVE HIM A SPANISH TRANSLATION OF THE NOTE IN HONG KONG TELNO 919, OBSERVING THAT WE WERE HAPPY FOR ARRANGE- MENTS TO BE MADE FOR THE RETURN OF RAMIREZ CALLES TO VENEZUELA PROVIDED THE VENEZUELANS GAVE THE UNDERTAKING WE SOUGHT AS REGARDS VIGOROUS PURSUIT OF HIS CASE HERE ON HIS RETURN.
2. TAYLHARDAT SAID AT ONCE THAT HE WANTED TO THANK US FOR THE ASSISTANCE AND COLLABORATION WHICH THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES HAD GIVEN TO THE VISITING VENEZUELAN TEAM AND THAT HE COULD TELL ME THAT HIS GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO OUR NOTE WAS ''POSITIVE'': THE VENEZUELANS WOULD LIKE TO BRING RAMIREZ CALLES BACK, AND ON HIS RETURN ''ALL NECESSARY MEASURES'' WOULD BE TAKEN IN DEALING WITH HIS CASE. AT THE SAME TIME THE VENEZUELAN AUTHORITIES WERE READY TO OFFER FULL ASSISTANCE TO THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES IN THEIR CONTINUING INVESTIGATIONS. TAYLHARDAT SAID THAT A WRITTEN REPLY TO OUR NOTE WOULD BE FORWARDED TO US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CONFIRMING WHAT HE HAD SAID TO ME ORALLY.
3. HONG KONG TELNO 2 TO CARACAS NOW RECEIVED, SUBSEQUENT TO DICTATION OF THE FOREGOING. WE SHALL PURSUE THE FOREIGN MINISTRY DURING THE DAY FOR THE WRITTEN REPLY PROMISED BY TAYLHARDAT. BUT EXPERIENCE SUGGESTS THAT WE MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY IN EXTRACTING IT IN TIME FOR THE MEETING OF THE HONG KONG CONSULAR CORPS TOMORROW, 20 MARCH. IN THAT EVENT I SUGGEST THAT HONG KONG SHOULD TAKE THE LINE THAT THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT HAS ''INDICATED'' THAT IT IS READY TO ACCEPT OUR PROPOSAL AS REGARDS THE RETURN OF RAMIREZ CALLES TO VENEZUELA BUT THAT WRITTEN CONFIRMATION OF THIS HAS NOT YET BEEN RECEIVED.
FITZHERBERT
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