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5. THIS NEWS CONFIRMS ME IN MY EARLIER FEARS ABOUT DANGERS FOR HONG KONG IN REFUSING TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE ALREADY LOST A WEEK, I MUST URGE YOU MOST STRONGLY TO AUTHORISE A RESUMPTION NOW WITHOUT SEEKING FURTHER FORMAL PRECONDITIONS FROM THE COMMISSION. IRREVOCABLE ACTION BY THE COMMUNITY TO THE DETRIMENT OF HONG KONG WILL OTHERWISE BE EXTREMELY
HARD TO AVOID.
6. YOU WILL APPRECIATE THAT THE UK'S ROOM FOR MANOEUVRE AND ABILITY TO AFFECT THE SITUATION IS EXTREMELY LIMITED. IF HONG KONG RETURNS TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE WITHOUT SEEKING FURTHER FORMAL ASSURANCES FROM THE COMMISSION, WHILE I CAN, OF COURSE, GIVE NO GUARANTEE THAT THE UK WILL SUCCEED, WE SHALL DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO SALVAGE WHAT CAN BE OBTAINED FOR HONG KONG IN THE PRESENT UNFORTUNATE
SITUATION.
7. AS REGARDS THE REQUESTS FOR ASSURANCES IN PARA 5 OF YOUR TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE, I AM SATISFIED THAT THE COMMUNITY WILL PROVIDE FOR ADEQUATE TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS ON THEIR CATEGORISATION PROPOSALS AND GIVE THE ASSURANCES YOU NEED ON EXPORT CONTROL. BUT
YOUR OTHER PRECONDITION ON THE FIGURES IS ONE WHICH WE BELIEVE THE
COMMISSION WILL FIND HARD TO PROVIDE IN THE PRESENT SITUATION. WHEN NEGOTIATIONS WERE SUSPENDED, THE FORMAL POSITION WAS ONE IN WHICH PROPOSALS FROM THE COMMISSION AND FROM HONG KONG WERE FIRMLY ON THE TABLE. THE HONG KONG SIDE HAVE MADE NO MOVE FROM THAT POSITION, NOR HAVE THEY BEEN PREPARED TO DO SO BEFORE THE RESUMPTION OF NEGOTIATIONS, THE COMMISSION WILL NOT WISH TO MAKE SUCH A FORMAL MOVE UNLESS HONG KONG WERE TO INDICATE WILLINGNESS TO DO THE SAME. NOR COULD THEY DO SO IN PRACTICE BEFORE THE 21 NOVEMBER COUNCIL.
8. I BELIEVE THEREFORE THAT THE ONLY PRACTICAL OPTION OPEN TO HONG KONG IS TO RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE, WITH THE ASSURANCES I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE YOU, BUT FORMALLY WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE
POSITION OF EITHER PARTY.
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19. ONCE.
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