TNAG-0376-FCO40-422-Discussions-with-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 18

B

SECRET

death sentence for certain categories of murder.

Sir M MacLehose

accepted this. He said he must have some discussion of the whole

question with the Secretary of State. He had discussed his general

attitude on the matter with 2 or 3 senior Unofficial Members of

ExCo.

EEC/GSP

15. Mr FitzHerbert of EID joined the meeting for this subject.

Mr Royle said the problem was to reconcile the need not to appear

to discriminate against Hong Kong with our obligations to the

Community. He would soon be receiving a submission on the

possibilities of reopening the matter with the Community. The

political side of the Office (but not European Integration

Department) would like to reopen it. EID thought that to do so

would be damaging to our overall European policy. It might lead

to pressure for reopening our domestic arrangements with the

Community and our arrangements with Commonwealth countries. But

he understood that it would not involve a breach of the Act of

Accession.

16.

Mr FitzHerbert said that although this was so, we had accepted

the exclusion of Hong Kong from the GSP on textiles and footwear as

part of the terms of Accession. Perhaps we could compromise by

seeking adjustments downwards in the quotas for other exporting

countries. Even if we did reopen the question with the Community,

it was doubtful whether we would get anywhere. Sir M MacLehose

said that, when the agreement in Brussels had been explained to

SECRET

/Hong Kong