Dr Harkin
HKD
НКС
175/1
✓ Tel. to issue
ps.
70
Н
+ 27/4.
FROM:
Miss S Brooks
Legal Counsellor
см
DATE:
24 April 1992
18
HONG KONG: MARITIME TERRORISM CONVENTION (HONG KONG TELNO 1014)
1. I suggest we explain to Hong Kong that we consider that our language put forward in FCO telno 514 of 17 March, paragraph 1 fits better with the Convention. If there is a likely risk of unravelling the agreement reached with the Chinese side, we can live with the proposal of the words
appropriate authority'; but if there is a chance to drop appropriate', this would be preferable. (It appears from Hong Kong telno 1014, paragraph 3 that the Hong Kong Government are willing to present the dropping of
'appropriate' to the Chinese as a further concession on the part of the HKG. If this works, it would be a more satisfactory alternative).
2.
If the IMO Secretariat were to object to the proposal of 'appropriate authority', this language should certainly be dropped and the proposal we made in FCO telno 514, paragraph 1 should be adopted instead.
AE] ALW
Shelagh Brooks.
S Brooks