CODE 18-77
MKD 345/
3
Mr Mulcahy
MVD
CL420
'PART A'
Ма
можно You'd better read a get to ligand to in
Thank you.
Reference
Facet
not the bees
umbeni.
response to her last letter
havvenssuve her
submitted to Legel 30/7.
Advisers.
љ
9/8
29/7
VISA FREE ACCESS FOR HONG KONG BN (0)S TO AUSTRIA
1.
We spoke about the complicated background to this question. As I understand it, from Hong Kong telno 2436 of 28 December 1990, the Austrians have all along been giving visa free access to BDTCS as a result of a misunderstanding. TUR records that the misunderstanding was clarified at Austrian insistence. I therefore take it that unless we have seen anything from Vienna to the contrary there is no longer any need to cast around for the "Gentleman's agreement" under which visa arrangements with Hong Kong have in effect been working. This means that the way is clear to proceed as suggested in Hong Kong telno 863, paragraph 3 ie for an exchange of letters (presumably between ourselves and Vienna) saying that in the UK Austria bilateral agreement covering this area any reference to BDTCs is to be understood also to apply to BN (0)S.
2. You told me that such a solution was acceptable to MVD, subject to legal advice. I would be grateful if you would go ahead and check with Legal Advisers. May I leave it to you to draft to Hong Kong? Correspondence now rests with Hong Kong telno 1072 of 2 July.
Woodrow
Deborah Barnes Jones Hong Kong Department WH 312 270 2068
28 July 1993
mul.min.NAT
SLM