RESTRICTED
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY HONG KONG
TELNO 718
OF 121555Z APRIL 91
RESTRICTED
HKC031/9
Ms. Mayor
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
/1,2,3
/6,7,8
い
101661
MDLOAN 8291
TOP COPY Q DIST? p.a.
IRO
sub-go: Multilateral Treaties:
CS 5/
Convervation
YOUR TELNOS 808-810 AND 908-910: IRO SUB-GROUP: MULTILATERAL TREATIES: CONSERVATION
1. WE AGREE THAT HONG KONG SHOULD RETAIN ITS ASSOCIATION WITH THE FOUR IMPORTANT CONVENTIONS COVERED BY THE PAPERS IN TURS. WE HAVE CONSULTED THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND HAVE ONLY TWO MINOR AMENDMENTS TO SUGGEST TO THE PAPER IN TELNO 910:
PARA 1, LINE 7, THIRD WORD: REPLACE 'AND' BY ''ON'': PARA 1, LINE 13, SECOND WORD: REPLACE ''USE'' BY ''CONSUMPTION''.
2. PARA 1 OF YOUR TELNO 808: THE CONVENTION NAMED AT (A) ENTERED INTO FORCE ON 21 DECEMBER 1975 AND THE CONVENTION NAMED AT (B) ENTERED INTO FORCE ON 1 NOVEMBER 1983. PARA 2 OF YOUR TELNO 808: WE AGREE. PARA 3 OF YOUR TELNO 808: COPIES OF RELEVANT EXTRACTS OF UK TREATY SERIES FOLLOW BY BAG FOR IRELAND, CAB.
3. REGARDING THE FOUR CONVENTIONS IN PARA 2 OF YOUR TELNO 908, WE AGREE THAT (A) AND (C) ARE OF LITTLE RELEVANCE TO HONG KONG AND SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO LAPSE. ON (B) AND (D), HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE STRONG REASONS FOR THESE CONVENTIONS TO
CONTINUE TO APPLY TO HONG KONG.
4.
THE CONVENTION FOR THE REGULATION OF WHALING AND ITS PROTOCOL IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TREATY TO WHICH BOTH THE UK AND CHINA ARE PARTIES. ALTHOUGH HONG KONG IS NOT A WHALING TERRITORY, NEITHER IS THE VAST MAJORITY OF IWC MEMBERS, INCLUDING CHINA. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG'S ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS THAT IT REMAINS ASSOCIATED. SIMILARLY, BOTH THE UK AND CHINA ARE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE. WE BELIEVE THAT IT MAKES SENSE FOR THE CONVENTION TO CONTINUE TO APPLY TO HONG KONG. WE THEREFORE SUGGEST THAT YOU SHOULD PREPARE FURTHER PAPERS ON THESE TWO CONVENTIONS, AND DEFENSIVE MATERIAL ON WHY
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