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But, he said, "that doesn't affect the undertaking I have just given."
A second Order in Council will also be tabled in Parliament tomorrow to give effect to the second trench of applications for full British passports under the British Nationality Selection Scheme which will begin next year.
However, the newly appointed Home Secretary was not able to be as positive on the issue of non-Chinese ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.
He told the Councillors that since assuming office he had personally looked again at the issue.
"We (the British Government) have given certain undertakings," he stated. "We think they are important. The meaning of them is significant.
It
But, he added, to go further "is something which would pose insurmountable obstacles for us. "
To grant full British citizenship for the non-Chinese ethnic minorities was "not something we could contemplate."
Mr Howard did give his personal commitment to restate clearly and concisely in Parliament the British Government's assurances for the ethnic minorities.
The Home Secretary repeated that other British Nationals in Hong Kong who felt pressured to leave after 1997 and "on the face of it would have nowhere to go" would be covered by the
same assurances.
When delegation members asked if he could go further, give more to non-Chinese ethnic minorities, Mr Howard replied: "I can't."
Earlier in the morning the Foreign Minister, Mr Alastair Goodlad, said he had recommended to the Home Office that there should be a satisfactory solution to Hong Kong people's concerns on the BN (0) issue.
The delegation also met during the day with Mr Keith Vaz MP (Labour) who expressed his full support for the case of the ethnic minorities.
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