18-JAN-1994 15:56
FOO M.V.D.
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which we would like to see continue. We see no merit in entering into a similar arrangement with Austria or any other country. To resurrect the arrangement for the sake of Austria would be bound to lead to requests for similar undertakings to be given to other countries with all the dangers that unforeseen circumstances in Hong Kong could lead to our having to "take back" large numbers of Hong Kong passport holders with no returnability to Hong Kong. In immigration terms, open-ended agreements of this sort are simply not attractive. Moreover, I doubt that the arrangement could be made with Austria without including other holders of controllable British passports throughout the world, some of whose returnability is already tenuous.
In short, the arrangement with the Benelux countries has just about out-served its usefulness and we would not be in favour of embarking on similar agreements with any other countries.
T Division
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Your sincerely,
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