XN000022-1995-12-06 — Page 24

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(b) whether the Government has, subsequent to this incident, taken any action to resolve the issue either directly or through the British Government?

Reply:

Mr President.

(a) We have been receiving different messages from various sources about UAE's non-acceptance of Certificates of Identity for visa purposes. For example, an UAE official had in January informed our Immigration Department through the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi that C of Is would be accepted for visa purposes and had asked for samples of C of I for submission to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, in July, the UAE authorities informed us, through British Embassy, Abu Dhabi, that Certificates of Identity would not be accepted for visa purposes, because these documents do not prove the holder's nationality. Since we have received confirmation of the formal position in July, the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi, at our request, made representations to the UAE authorities, urging them to change their position.

(b) Following reports of the latest incident of non-acceptance of Certificate of Identity, we have again made representations to UAE Ambassador in London through the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and to the UAE authorities through the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. The British Minister of State responsible for Hong Kong Affairs, Mr Hanley, raised the matter with the UAE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when he visited that country on 27 November. The UAE Minister of State has undertaken to look into the issue as a matter of priority. We will be monitoring further developments closely.

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