Jee felio (111)
HKA, 233./4
DESK XX
27 APR 1993
livary secretary
The
mimitor agrees
FIDENTIAL
TOY
REGISTRY Action TaxFROM:
6.5. Davey 23/4
DATE:
CC:
бильи 28
22 APR 1993
23
J C Morris
Hong Kong Department
22 April 1993
PS/Baroness Chalker PS/PUS
Sir J Coles
Mr Muir
Mr Kirby, ODA
Miss Brooks,
Legal Advisers
Mr Fifoot,
Legal Consultant
Mr Fish,
RMD
Съвил гута
127
Mr Ham
PS/Mr Goodlad
14 mimiter
Ahazit
Private Secretary
ODA
Cenient with
Lettr.
PS
나
Pu 2314
HONG KONG: HER MAJESTY'S OVERSEAS CIVIL SERVICE (HMOCS): LETTER FROM CHIEF SECRETARY
Problem
A 1. How to respond to the Chief Secretary's letter of 20
April?
00
B
Recommendation
2.
I recommend that the Secretary of State reply on the lines of the attached draft.
Background
3. The Secretary of State wrote to the Chief Secretary on29 March setting out our best case in support of the FCO-proposed package. The Chief Secretary's reply suggests an early meeting "to discuss how to take the issue forward". Treasury officials have given no hint that they are prepared to move towards us, and I believe there is little prospect that a further meeting with the Chief Secretary now would produce a compromise that would meet the Governor's needs. In any case the Prime Minister has now asked the Cabinet Secretary to recommend a solution, so the matter is overtaken.
have
4. The Treasury have been passed a copy of the Governor's letter to the Prime Minister of 20 April, but they not seen Roderic Lyne's letter of 16 April, recording the Prime Minister's decision to refer the matter to Cabinet Office. The question of how to break the news to them is a little sensitive. I see advantage in an early reply to Mr Portillo's letter so as to put our spin on the news, and to side-step any
sub.hmocs20.MORRIS
JEB
CONFIDENTIAL