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FM FCO
TO ROUTINE HONG KONG
TELNO 1257
OF 051515Z JULY 91
HKC 18125
044537 MDLOAN 6758
New EMOLOAN
HK/Aus Air services.
INFO ROUTINE CANBERRA, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, PEKING
-90/HKC184/3
•90/HKC 184/3 (15
CANBERRA TELNO 898 OF 18 OCTOBER 1990:
SERVICES
1.
UK/AUSTRALIA AIR
IN THE COURSE OF A CALL BY EVANS (PERMANENT SECRETARY DTC) ON SUNDERLAND (DEPUTY SECRETARY DTP) ON 3 JULY TO DISCUSS
PORTS AND FREIGHT, THE QUESTION FOR AIR SERVICES WAS RAISED.
2. EVANS INDICATED THAT THE AUSTRALIAN POSITION ON ASA SEPARATION HAD NOW BECOME LESS RIGID THAN REPORTED IN TUR AND
SUGGESTED THAT NEGOTIATION OF A HONG KONG/AUSTRALIA ASA COULD
PROCEED SEPARATELY FROM DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN BILATERAL
ISSUES: ALTHOUGH THERE WAS STILL A NEED TO NEGOTIATE A SATISFACTORY PACKAGE OF RIGHTS THE AUSTRALIANS WOULD BE
FLEXIBLE ABOUT THE 1974 CMU WHICH THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY INSISTED
SHOULD BE HONOURED TO THE FULL.
3. SUNDERLAND WELCOMED THIS UNEXPECTED NEWS AND SAID THAT WE
WOULD BE CONSIDERING HOW TO TAKE THINGS FORWARD ALTHOUGH EVANS' REMARKS WOULD NOT BE TREATED AS A FORMAL INITIATIVE. 4. EVANS ALSO MENTIONED THAT HE HAD STOPPED OVER IN HONG
KONG EN ROUTE TO THE UK. THERE HE HAD HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH
OFFICIALS IN ESB AND WITH CPA TO DISCUSS ASA SEPARATION. GRATEFUL IF YOU CAN ADD ANYTHING TO THE FOREGOING AS A RESULT OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
HURD
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