349/325/11
27.JAK 1990
RESTRICTED
Derament! with toy bitchs.
433/3
сс
Miss Dews
Mrs Kellas, B4
Mr Page, HKBU
Mr Harrington, B3 Mr Bramley, LAB
Mr Thompson, MVD, FCO Mrs Brundle, MVD, FCO Mr Folland, FID, FCO Miss Hopkins, NTD, FCO Mr J Hague, HKD, FCO Miss V Jennison, WED, FCO
Mr Henderson
Passport Department
UK VISA ABOLITION AGREEMENTS WITH AUSTRIA AND ARGENTINA
You may know that the UK and Argentina announced last month a decision in principle to
to abolish the visa requirement for nationals of each country visiting the other. Effect will be given to this by reinstating the UK's 1.967 visa abolition agreement (VAA) with Argentina, which has been suspended since 1982 (and, from the UK side, by an amendment to the Immigration Rules).
2. Before the agreement can be reinstated, it needs to be amended to take account of the British Nationality Act 1981, and the common format passport. The way we do this has to be consistent with our position in the discussions with the Benelux countries (now apparently stalled) about a new VAA, and with the response we owe the Austrians on amending our VAA with them (your note of 25 October 1989 to Miss Hopkins, and Mrs Brundle's letter to me of 31 October, refer) or at least any differences of approach need to be justified.
3. The 1987 agreement with Argentina only covers British passports bearing the name of the UK or one of the Islands, and only allows Argentinians to enter the UK or the Islands without a visa. (The 1968 agreement with Austria differs from this only in that it extends to Gibraltar, and to passports issued there.) The view of a meeting I attended at the FCO to discuss amending the VAA with Argentina was that the aim should be to translate its original scope as closely as possible into current nationality and passport terminology. I am sure this is the right principle. I think what it means in practice is that the revised agreement would only allow British citizens, and those BDTCS, BN(0)s, BOCs and BPPs who are entitled to readmission to
RESTRICTED