CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TELNO 543
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC03111
RECEIVE
21 FEB 1990
*TRY
SSTRY
TO PRIORITY FCO
Luch Taken
i
OF 13070OZ FEBRUARY 90
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
IRO SUB-GROUP: MULTILATERAL TREATIES
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135120
MDLIAN 8031
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120 sub-group!
RoR / muthilat treaties: general
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to NH
1 WE HAVE BEEN PREPARING PAPERS ON MULTILATERAL TREATIES, ON THE TREATY LIST RECENTLY HANDED OVER ON 7 FEB, WHICH DO NOT CREATE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS. WE BEGAN WITH TREATIES ON CUSTOMS, WHICH WE DECIDED SHOULD BE GIVEN PRIORITY, AND WHICH WE MENTIONED TO THE CHINESE AT JLG XIV. MIFT AND 2ND MIFT CONTAIN RESPECTIVELY A DRAFT PAPER ON THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION RELATING TO THE SIMPLIFICATION OF CUSTOMS FORMALITIES 1923 AND THE CONVENTION CONCERNING CUSTOMS FACILITIES FOR TOURING AND ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL RELATING TO THE IMPORTATION OF TOURIST PUBLICITY DOCUMENTS AND MATERIAL 1954.
2. THE DRAFT PAPERS ARE MEANT TO SET A MODEL FOR FUTURE PAPERS. THEY ARE SHORTER THAN PREVIOUS PAPERS, WHICH HITHERTO HAVE DEALT WITH TREATIES CREATING INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS. THIS IS BECAUSE THE ISSUES ARE LESS COMPLEX, THERE ARE MANY TREATIES TO COVER, AND WE WISH TO PERSUADE THE CHINESE TO ACCEPT A CRISPER AND QUICKER STYLE OF WORK ONCE THEY ARE READY TO RETURN SERIOUSLY TO WORK IN THE SUB-GROUP.
3. OUR DRAFTS ARE BASED UPON AN ASSUMPTION THAT THE CHINESE WILL ACCEPT OUR GENERAL SCHEME FOR SECURING THEIR INHERITANCE OF IROS AS SUGGESTED IN OUR PAPER HANDED OVER TO THEM ON 15 MARCH 89, OR SOMETHING LIKE IT. EVEN IF THEY DO NOT, OUR WORK WILL NOT BE WASTED BECAUSE ONLY THE PROPOSALS PART OF EACH PAPER SHOULD NEED TO BE MODIFIED.
4. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR COMMENTS ON THE PAPERS, AND IN PARTICULAR FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION THAT THE UK HAS NOT, IN RATIFYING THE TWO CONVENTIONS, MADE ANY RESERVATIONS OR DECLARATIONS IN RESPECT OF
HK.
5. ALSO GRATEFUL FOR COPIES OF THE TEXTS TO BE ANNEX A TO EACH PAPER, AND AS ANNEX B TO THE SECOND PAPER.
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