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HELMUT SOHMEN, EX LEGCO MEMBER, WHO CITES A CONTACT WITH THE AUSTRIAN EMBASSY IN LONDON).
5. DR QUERNER SUGGESTED THAT HMG'S CLEAR CONCERN ABOUT THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE DEMONSTRATED BY RAISING IT WITH HIS COUNTERPART IN LONDON. THEREAFTER, HE SUGGESTED THAT WE DEAL WITH THE MATTER IN A LOW KEY WAY, ULTIMATELY CONFIRMING AGREEMENT BY THE EXCHANGE OF LETTERS. HE SUGGESTS THAT ANY NEGOTIATIONS BE HANDLED BY OUR EMBASSY IN VIENNA.
6. SEPARATELY, LEGCO MEMBER, HOWARD YOUNG HAS ALSO TAKEN THIS ISSUE WITH THE AUSTRIAN CONSUL-GENERAL. ON MONDAY HE HOSTED A LUNCH ATTENDED BY THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, WITH THE AUSTRIAN TRADE COMMISSIONER, WHO WAS REMINDED THAT AUSTRIA'S BID TO HOST NEXT YEAR'S WORLD CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CHINESE TOURIST ASSOCIATION MIGHT BE HELPED IF THEY LIBERALISED THEIR TREATMENT OF BN (0)S. HE WAS ALSO REMINDED THAT AUSTRIA'S WIDER TRADE INTERESTS IN HONG KONG AND CHINA MIGHT BE DAMAGED BY THIS ANOMALY, AND THAT BN (0) PASSPORT HOLDERS WERE BOTH A FINITE NUMBER AND A CONTINUING CORE ELEMENT OF HONG KONG'S STABLE AND RESPECTABLE POPULATION FROM WHOM BUSINESSMEN AND TOURISTS WERE DRAWN.
COMMENT
7. WE APPRECIATE, THAT THE HOME OFFICE HAS SOME DIFFICULTY WITH THE RETURNABILITY PROBLEM (YOUR TUR PARA 4 REFERS). HOWEVER, SINCE THE BENELUX AGREEMENT WORKS WELL, BOTH IN PRINCIPLE AND IN PRACTICE, WE WOULD URGE THAT IT BE APPLIED IN THIS CASE. WE THINK THAT THIS COULD BE DONE BY A STATEMENT IN THE EXCHANGE OF LETTERS ASSURING THE AUSTRIANS THAT BN (0)S COULD BE RETURNED TO HONG KONG VIA LONDON, IN THE SAME WAY AS BDTCS. WE THINK THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BECOME A BLOCKING POINT, ESPECIALLY AS THE ISSUE HAS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT AND URGENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BN(0) PHASED PROGRAMME TO BE INTRODUCED VERY SOON.
8. WE FAVOUR THE LOW-KEY APPROACH RECOMMENDED BY THE AUSTRIAN CONSUL-GENERAL AS DESCRIBED IN PARA 3 WHICH SEEMS A STRAIGHTFORWARD AND SENSIBLE WAY TO PROCEED. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR
VIEWS.
PATTEN
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