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FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE DHAKA

TELNO 01

OF 020636Z JUNE 93

INFO ROUTINE FCO

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122760 MDLIAN 6619

66

M Woodrow

7

FROM DINHAM, PRIVATE OFFICE

YOUR TELNO 003: VISIT TO HONG KONG BY MOUDUD AHMED

1.

THANK YOU FOR TUR. UNFORTUNATELY THE GOVERNOR'S PROGRAMME IN JUNE IS ALREADY OVER-CROWDED, NOT LEAST DUE TO ACTIVITY GENERATED BY THE CURRENT ROUNDS OF TALKS WITH CHINA. WE HAVE ALREADY HAD TO DEFLECT A NUMBER OF OTHER REQUESTS FROM HIGH-LEVEL VISITORS AND IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO SQUEEZE IN MOUDUD AHMED WITHOUT SQUEEZING OUT AN EXISTING MEETING TO WHICH WE ARE ALREADY COMMITTED.

2*

FOR YOUR OWN INFORMATION, WE WOULD ALSO BE RELUCTANT TO SET A PRECEDENT OF A CALL ON THE GOVERNOR BY AN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN IN THE REGION SINCE THIS COULD WELL MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO

RESIST OTHER SUCH REQUESTS IN THE FUTURE.

}=

MOST GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD THEREFORE EXPLAIN TO MR MOUDUD

AHMED THAT REGRETTABLY IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO ARRANGE A CALL DUE TO EXTREME PRESSURES ON THE GOVERNOR'S DIARY AT THE PRESENT TIME. HOWEVER, IF HE WOULD LIKE A BRIEFING ON HONG KONG/CHINA RELATIONS EITHER ON HIS WAY TO OR FROM CHINA, HE MIGHT WISH TO CONTACT WILLIAM EHRMAN, THE GOVERNOR'S POLITICAL ADVISER ON 852 810 2428, WHO WOULD BE HAPPY TO AGREE A TIME FOR A MEETING ON 7 JUNE.

PATTEN

HILD R6/16

YYYY

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