Miss Major
HKC 282/1
RECET
0 7 FEB 1991
8
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Mr Bums.
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fa fuzili
HKC 282/1.
31/1.
FROM:
P A Major
Hong Kong Department
Many thanks.
It is useful
DATE:
29 January 1991
to have
grand
This summan n the covered for the recist
CC:
Mr Paul
Mr
McLaren
CALL BY JOURNALIST MARK ROBERTI, 28 JANUARY
1. You asked me to record the main points of your interview with Mr Roberti. You saw him for seventy five minutes for an unattributable background briefing. You warned him that you would be able to answer questions in general terms
only.
New Territories Leases
2.
You confirmed that the Governor of Hong Kong had visited in 1979 China in the hope of solving the technical issue of NT land leases without necessarily tackling the expiry of the 1898
Lease. Further exchanges between Sir P Cradock and the
Chinese made clear that the Chinese ruled out any such interim solution. There were no major new initiatives on
the UK side until Mrs Thatcher's visit to China.
Mrs Thatcher's Visit
3.
You confirmed that during this visit and at the start of the negotiations, our aim was to secure continued British
administration of Hong Kong after 1997. Mr Roberti
suggested that Mrs Thatcher's strong line on sovereignty had
soured the atmosphere. You said that her purpose had been
to find a basis for talks, which she had done. Undoubtedly,
her press conference statements about the Treaties had
MUKAMB/1
CC