CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 02613
pa file
سال
32
045735 MDLIAN 0561
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 271
OF 291015Z JANUARY 92
2.B
TOP COPY Q DIST?
PERSONAL FOR RICKETTS, HKD FROM GOVERNOR
LORD CAITHNESS'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: 16-22 FEBRUARY: MEETING WITH OMELCO
1. LADY DUNN HAS TOLD ME THAT WHEN THEY MEET LORD CAITHNESS, OMELCO WILL HOPE TO HAVE A SERIOUS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SUCCESSION HERE. THEY HAVE APPARENTLY AGREED ON FOUR POINTS:-
(A) THAT THEY REGRET THE WAY IN WHICH THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE:
(B) THAT A SUCCESSOR SHOULD BE ANNOUNCED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE:
(C) THAT HONG KONG VIEWS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN
DECIDING ON A SUCCESSOR: AND
(D) THAT THIS SUCCESSOR SHOULD PUT HONG KONG'S INTERESTS FIRST AND FOREMOST.
2. CLEARLY THE FOUR POINTS ABOVE ARE A SIMPLE-TO-AGREE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR. THERE WILL BE VARIANTS ON THESE THEMES, AS THERE WERE IN THE LEGCO DEBATE ON 22 JANUARY (YOU HAVE COPIES OF THE SPEECHES).
3. LADY DUNN HAS SUGGESTED THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF LORD CAITHNESS COULD EXPLAIN TO OMELCO MEMBERS WHY THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE IN THE WAY IT WAS AND WHAT SORT OF PERSON HMG HAS IN MIND AS A SUCCESSOR. BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, THERE IS A PROPOSAL THAT OMELCO SHOULD SEND A DELEGATION TO LONDON TO LOBBY ON THIS ISSUE. LADY DUNN IS TRYING TO HEAD THIS OFF. MUCH MAY DEPEND ON HOW SUCCESSFUL LORD CAITHNESS IS IN MEETING THE CONCERNS RAISED BY OMELCO MEMBERS.
4. APART FROM THIS SUBJECT, OMELCO MEMBERS ARE LIKELY TO RAISE THE FOLLOWING:-
(A) THE NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN LEGCO:
1
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL