HKC 345/1
RECEIVE
- 7 NOV 1990
**CISTRY
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Reference..
53
får for 5711 да
दीग
Mr Thompson
MVD
VISA ABOLITION AGREEMENT: UK/AUSTRIA
Please refer to Mr Stephenson's minute of 28 August. I apologise for WIAD's delay in offering comment.
1..
То
2. You should be aware that in 1988, the Secretary of State agreed to delegate to the Bermuda government authority to negotiate visa abolition agreements with EC member states. date five of our EC partners (Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and most recently Greece) have agreed to visa-free entry for Bermuda BDTC passport holders. We have asked our Embassies in the remaining EC countries to assist Bermuda's efforts by suggesting suitable contacts in their host governments and to do whatever possible to smooth the path towards bilateral agreements with Bermuda on visa abolition (copy of FCO Telno 29 to Copenhagen, cleared with HKD, MVD and Miss Spencer is attached). Since Danish visa policy is coordinated with that of other Scandinavian governments, we carried out similar representations in the other nordic capitals. Sir Jack Sharpe, Bermuda's Minister for Delegated and Legislative Affairs, has followed up these approaches by writing directly to the governments concerned.
3.
It now seems unlikely that the Austrian government will settle for the status quo. Of the other options, outlined in Mr Stephenson's paragraph 3, our preference would be for c), since it would fit in with the pragmatic approach we have adopted to date in the case of Bermuda which among those DTs for which WIAD is responsible has by far the strongest political, commercial, and tourism ties with Europe. We should prefer to handle the question of our Caribbean DTS on this same pragmatic basis as the need arises.
Rete Jus
P January
West Indian & Atlantic Department WH MZ 36
CODE 18-77
7 November 1990
CC: Mr Rankin, Legal Advisers
Mr Stadler, B2 Home Office
Mr Henderson, Passport Office, CL 236
Mr Hamilton, NTD
Mr Duff, WED
Ms Major, HKD
Mr Bensberg, Vienna
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