CONFIDENTIAL
Reference HKK 6/3.
Mr Stuart
이시
יר
A
B
C
A
ما
HONG KONG ALIGNMENT BY THE UNITED KINGDOM
TO THE ENLARGED EEC GSP
thia
1. I attended meeting at DTI with the Hong Kong officials at the end of July. My submission is attached. From this you will see that it was agreed at official level that the Hong Kong Governments case was put strongly and we agreed that it would be necessary to submit to Ministers.
2.
Having said this you will see from Duncan Watson's personal telegram to the Governor No 737 that we have had to draw the Governor's attention to the fact that even if there is a favourable Ministerial decision here to re-open the question in Brussels (and this would probably mean going to the Council of Ministers) any negotiations which might result would be very difficult. You will wish to know that ID at departmental level think it unlikely that they will support the re-opening of the alignmentition. Their hegal Adviser's advice is als
3.
Mr Hazal has written a first draft of a possible submission to FCO Ministers on this subject, which apart from the omission of one or two points which I have now included is, I think, very much on the right lines. EID however said that, they cannot agree to it being submitted until Mr Robertson's return, from leave at the end of the month. They want Mr Robertson's views on whether he considers this should:firstly take priority over other matters of direct UK concern, and secondly whether we are likely to achieve anything by doing so. The issue is unlikely to come up in Brussels before mid September at the very earliest so that this delay is not crucial.
4. I have discussed the matter in very general terms with Mr Wilford who thinks that we shall have to take it up in Brussels if only to be able to demonstrate to Hong Kong the importance we attach to this.
5. If FCO Ministers decide that they wish to re-open the question in Brussels, the DTI are likely to insist that it goes to a Cabinet Committee for official decision.
6. There is in addition to the Governor's strong pleas for action a petition from seven major trade and industrial organisations in Hong Kong.
17 August 1973
CONFIDENTIAL
كسول
Iow
M A Goodfellow MA
(17293) 897465 400m 1/73 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp 863
Page 180Page 181
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