RESTRICTED
FM MADRID
RESTRICTED
MIND 345 S
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345/5
RECE
2 2 SEP 1993
I think
DESK FICHE
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
INDE
TELNO 432
OF 201215Z SEP
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE OTHER EC POSTS
Jess
is 20/9
د ساده که رمانیان
todit & see
we have to
whether
2010 HKRET / Hong Kong react to
con Taken
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25/9
064201
MDHIAN 5873
TOP COPY Q DIST?/
YOUR TELNO 182: SPANISH VISA REGIME FOR HONG KONG: BDTCS AND BNOS
SUMMARY
FOLLOW-UP WITH VILLAR: SPANISH POSITION UNCHANGED. RECOMMENDATIONS.
1
DETAIL
AS INSTRUCTED AND BEFORE RECEIPT OF TUR, I SPOKE TO VILLAR ON 17 SEPTEMBER TO FOLLOW-UP APPLEYARD'S APPROACH.
2.
3
HE
VILLAR SPOKE ON MUCH THE SAME LINES AS CEBRIAN. REITERATED THAT, UNDER SCHENGEN RULES, SPAIN HAD NO ROOM FOR MANOEUVRE. HONG KONG WAS, OF COURSE, NOT ON THE AGREED SCHENGEN LIST, AND TO THAT EXTENT THE VISA REQUIREMENT WAS LEFT TO NATIONAL DECISION. IT DID, HOWEVER, REMAIN ON THE SPANISH NATIONAL LIST AS A COUNTRY/TERRITORY WHOSE CITIZENS REQUIRED VISAS: AND WHERE THIS WAS THE CASE, SCHENGEN RULES NO LONGER ALLOWED SUCH VISA REQUIREMENT TO BE WAIVED. FOR SOME SCHENGEN MEMBERS THIS PROBLEM COULD BE GOT AROUND BY ALLOWING VISAS TO BE ISSUED AT FRONTIER POINTS. BUT SPANISH LAW PROHIBITED THIS, AND THERE WAS NO PROSPECT THAT LEGISLATION (EITHER FOR HONG KONG OR FOR OTHER COUNTRIES SIMILARLY AFFECTED) WOULD BE CHANGED. VILLAR UNDERSTOOD THAT THE ISSUE WAS ONE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO HONG KONG. WHILE HE SAW NO WAY OF POSTPONING THE 1 OCTOBER DATE HE
HOPED THAT CONCERN IN THE UK AND HONG KONG WOULD BE REDUCED BY AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE WAS NO DISCRIMINATION INVOLVED. THE SAME POSITION APPLIED TO ALL OTHER COUNTRIES, NOT ON THE COMMON SCHENGEN LIST, TO WHOM SPAIN HAD PREVIOUSLY GRANTED SIMILAR
THESE INCLUDED SAUDI ARABIA, THE GULF STATES AND
DISPENSATIONS.
AUSTRALIA AMONG OTHERS.
COMMENT