TNAG-0375-FCO40-421-Discussions-with-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 36

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serious. This would arise if we gave tariff preferences,

for example, to Korea under the Community's Generalised

Scheme of Preferences, which were denied to Hong Kong.

To put Hong Kong's case to the Community and fail would

be something; not to put it at all was unacceptable.

Sir Alec Douglas-Home commented that the danger was

that we would be under pressure, to reopen other cases

but he would like to see exactly what

exactly what m2 Rippen had said. as well,The question was, however, under study in the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office and he would have

Hong Kong's interest in mind.

STERLING

1. Sir Murray MacLehose said that the Chancellor's

offer to the overseas holders of sterling had been

made in a form which did not fit Hong Kong for various

technical and political reasons. He would be having

talks with Treasury officials later the same day. He

hoped to persuade them that Hong Kong needed to maintain

a lower proportion of its reserves in sterling and that

they should have comprehensive discussions with his

Financial Secretary during the forthcoming Finance

Ministers meetings in Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi.

123 Sir Alec Douglas-Home said that if discussions

be prepared to get in touch with with the Treasury did not go well he would teak to the

Chancellor.

SUPERINTENDENT GODBER

1

13.

Mr Royle said he had spoken to the Attorney General

who advised that it would be wrong to amend the

Fugitive Offenders Act in order to catch one man, who

might anyway abscond.

15.

14. Sir Murray MacLehose replied that the case of

Superintendent Godber illuminated an admitted defect

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/in the