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7 April 1993
By Fax
り
Mv
ho ra
3/4.
리
2) pa.
Dr E Jones Parry CMG
ECD (E)
FCO
Dear Emyr
RF
HKD 406/5
13 APR 1993
-
Com askis
Сори
United Kingdom
Permanent Representation To the European Communities
-Useful if we
Rond Point Robert Schuman 6
1040 Brussels
Telephone: (02) 287 82 11
Telex: 24312
Facsimile: (02) 287 83 98
DID: (02)287 8248
Could talk about
we Gould
His next week.
3) Mr Harris
EC DELEGATION OFFICE IN HONG KONG
1.
the Pernes Jones
ichael
As you know, the Governor of Hong Kong visited Brussels on 1 - 2 April. He called on President Delors and Sir L Brittan. The difficulties over the Delegation office came up at both meetings (Delors has a direct interest, as the Commissioner responsible for the Legal Service). In brief, these exchanges succeeded in introducing some new flexibility into the positions of both sides. But, contrary to paragraph 6 of Deborah Barnes Jones' minute to Anneli Conroy of 6 April, the Commission have not (yet) accepted the Hong Kong position. The Hong Kong office here aim to resume negotiations with the Commission soon.
2. At Sir J Kerr's lunch for the Governor, which took place before his calls, I was able to take Mr Patten through the main issues, noting in particular the need for administrative flexibility from the Hong Kong side in improving the scope of the privileges on offer, and the Commission's need for some assurance that the Delegation's long-term future would be addressed at some stage; and noting (in Krenzler's hearing) that the Commission must accept that Cap 190 would apply, rather than Cap 259. Mr Patten said that imagination and flexibility were clearly needed to bring the negotiation to a successful conclusion. He welcomed the idea (see para 3 of my letter of 15 March) of a tripartite meeting in London as a possible way of thrashing out an agreement (so did Patrick Williamson, who now thought that it would probably be necessary). But the Governor ruled out either new legislation in Hong Kong or a request to China now for post- 1997 guarantees.
I enclose copies of two speaking notes which summarise what happened at the Governor's meetings with Sir L Brittan and Delors. The first (on a single page) was Sir L Brittan's speaking note, drafted by Robert Madelin (Brittan Cabinet). Its paragraph 3 contains useful advances in the Commission's position on three points:
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