TNAG-0243-FCO40-279-Conduct-of-Hong-Kong-commercial-relations-1973 — Page 69

CONFIDENTIAL

Commodities Department,

7 September, 1970

GATT

Hong Kong

Thank you for your most helpful letter of 27 August. I re-submitted the papers to our Legal Adviser who now states that on consideration of the material we have been able to give him the statement in Paragraph 48 of the Brief prepared for Sir A. Part's visit to Geneva at the end of July is wrong,

2.

two

we must, therefore, regard the last sentences of that paragraph as being deleted and I should be glad if you would bring this matter to the attention of your colleagues who might be engaged on further briefs for the forthcoming Talks in Geneva (if they are held) at the beginning of October.

3.

I have, today, seen for the first time, the Board of Trude Paper "EEC Negotiations: Hong Kong" circulated to the Working Grop on Europe under Paper WGE (70) 37. Paragraph 18 of this Paper - at the top of Page 8 - contains the phrase "and We are advised that we cannot legally retaliate on her (Hong Kong's) behalf". As this view has been held for some years, I think it might be advisable for an amended paper to be circulated to the Working Group on Europe so that we can hope to get the correct opinion across to as many of our colleagues as possible.

M.G. Woodheady, Esq.,

C.R.E.D.,

Board of Trade,

1, Victoria Street,

London, S.W.1.

C.0.

G.F. Kinnear, Esq.,

Hong Kong Department

M. Percival, Esq.,

Trade Policy Department

CONFIDENT LAL

(R. Mowforth)

82