TNAG-0466-FCO40-531-Hong-Kong-s-interests-in-EEC-capitals-1974 — Page 82

CONFIDENTIAL

1

UNITED KINGDOM DELEGATION

TO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

AVENUE DES ARTS 52

1040 BRUSSELS

TELEPHONE 13. 77. 80

28 February 1972 ·

137

Sir Murray MacLohose KCMG MBE

Government House

Hong Kong

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1.

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LCL.

Thank you for your letter of 31 January about the status of the Hong Kong Representative in Brussels.

2.

"As you rightly say, the question of Dodge's status was last considered about the time of the opening of our negotiation8 with the Community. It was then decided for reasons which were mainly connected with the negotiations that it was neither in our nor Hong Kong's interest to move Dodge from the Embassy here to the Delegation. We did, however, at that stage arrange for him to be included in all the Commonwealth briefing meetings and, on our side at least, the relationship has worked well since we last considered it.

3. Clearly the considerations relating to the negotiations are now no longer valid. But the success of the negotiations and the fact that this Delegation will be transformed into a Permanent Representation on 1 January 1973 has, I think, created a new obstacle to my having a Hong Kong Counsellor on my staff. The point is quite simply that the Fermanent Representative and his staff are institutionally part of the Community. The members of the Permanent Representations have automatic access to Community documents and, more important, attend as of right a lerge variety of meetings under the auspices of the Council of Ministers. liona of this would present any problem if Hong Kong were included within the scope of our Treaty of Accession. But, of course, it isn't: Hong Kong is formally excluded from the scope of our membership of the Communities. It follows from this. I am afraid, that not only would it be improper to have Dodge, on the staff of a Pemanent Representation, but it vould directly counter the achievement of your first consideration, that he should have a status and title that was understood in the Commission. It would in fact make it more difficult for him to differentiate hingel? from British Government policy, as may well need to be the case on a number of trade policy issues.

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