Mr Paul
HKD
CONFIDENTIAL
нис 06215
RECEIVED IN
0 2 AUG 1990
ESK OFFICER
10. EX
pat
FROM:
M J Williams
South Asian Department
DATE:
5 July 1990
Cc:
Mr McLaren
Mr Goulden
Mr Burns
THE GURKHAS
1.
Thank you for your minute of 3 July. I imagine you have
seen the manuscript minuting added by Mr McLaren (on 3 and 4
July) Mr Goulden on 3 July and Mr Burns on 4 July. The
conclusion which they came to is that, although there is no
serious expectation that MOD might try to renege on the commitment to keep Gurkhas in Hong Kong up until 1997, it
would be worth Mr Maude writing to Mr Hamilton, MOD, to confirm the point, as specifically requested by Sir D
Wilson.
m
2.
Before a letter is sent from FCO on this point, I think
we need also to consider whether we should be putting down a
marker about the need, in terms of our relations with Nepal, to retain a Gurkha brigade at all after 1997. This is of
course a separate issue, but it is related. If an FCO
Minister writes to the MOD now about the future of the
Gurkhas referring only to the commitment to Hong Kong, which
is not seriously in doubt, it will look as though we do not
much care if after 1997 the brigade is disbanded.
MW3AAS/1
CONFIDENTIAL