CONFIDENTIAL
042015 MDLIAN 1544
INTERESTS CAN BE PROTECTED.
-
FRANCE,
12. OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT SO FAR FIVE COUNTRIES GERMANY, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS AND LUXEMBOURG - HAVE SIGNED THE AGREEMENT, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE CITIZENS OF ABOUT 100 COUNTRIES TO
OBTAIN A COMMON ENTRY VISA VALID FOR ALL FIVE COUNTRIES.
13. WE DO NOT KNOW IF THE LIST OF 100 COVERS HONG KONG, A DEPENDENT TERRITORY, OR WHETHER OTHER EC COUNTRIES WILL SIGN THE AGREEMENT.
14. OUR POSITION IS THAT WE DO NOT WISH TO SEE IN 1992 HK BDTC AND
BN (0) PASSPORT HOLDERS REQUIRING VISAS FOR ALL EC COUNTRIES WHEN AT
PRESENT WE ONLY REQUIRE VISAS TO VISIT FOUR OUT OF THE 12 (NAMELY FRANCE, GERMANY, PORTUGAL AND DENMARK). IN PARTICULAR, WE WOULD WISH TO AVOID HONG KONG BRITISH PASSPORT HOLDERS REQUIRING VISAS TO
VISIT THE U K.
15. EVEN IF UK DOES NOT SIGN THE AGREEMENT, WE WOULD HOPE TO AVOID ADDITIONAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IMPOSING A VISA REQUIREMENT ON HONG
KONG BRITISH PASSPORT HOLDERS. INDEED, WE WOULD HOPE TO BE ABLE TO PERSUADE FRANCE, GERMANY, PORTUGAL AND DENMARK TO DROP THEIR VISA REQUIREMENTS. AT PRESENT WE ALLOW VISITORS FROM EC COUNTRIES VISA- FREE ENTRY FOR VISITS UP TO ONE TO THREE MONTHS. WE HOPE FOR RECIPROCITY AS FAR AS POSSIBLE.
FORD
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
62
LIMITED
HKD
HD/FED
RAD
PUSD
NEWS D
ADDITIONAL
3
MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS MR RITCHIE B2 DIVISION,
NNNN
DISTRIBUTION
65
PAGE
MVD
NTD
PS/MR MAUDE
PS/LORD BRABAZON
MR MCLAREN
MR BURNS
HOME OFFICE (LUNAR HOUSE)
3
CONFIDENTIAL