CONFIDENTIAL
of Government Meeting. It is not however HMG's intention
that ionality law should be placed on the agenda for the Meeting. There are already sufficient subjects of moment on the agenda to occupy Heads of Government fully during the time available. Nationality law is a complex matter, hardly suitable for discussion at the level of this Meeting. It is
our hope that any Commonwealth Government that wishes to
raise the matter with the British Government will do so
bilaterally.
4. All addressees should use this guidance and the text of
the Green Paper after publication to answer enquiries from United Kingdom communities, the press and other members of the public. It should be made clear that any forecast of an individual's future national status can only rest on propesal: in 'a consultative document, and must therefore be provisional until a new law is created. Expressions of opinion on the proposals should simply be acknowledged and copied to the
FCO.
enac
5. Some posts will have particular problems over the present- ation of the proposals. Supplementary guidance is being sent to Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Falkland Islands, Madrid, Peking, Buenos Aires, UKREP Brussels, Canberra ard, Wellington, Homer.
Guatemala City, BCR Cestries and Brunei.
Line to Take
6. In explaining the proposals to Ministers/Members of Executive Councils,High Commissioners/Governors/Commissioners should draw on the following:
a. The Green Paper is a consultative document.
There will be ample time for it to be studied and discussed both in the United Kingdom and by those governments and groups overseas concerned. The Government are not likely to introduce legislation for 2 or 3 years; nor are they fin- ally committed to all the proposals, and indeed the Green Paper states various options on a number of points. HIG will be ready to listen
to any views which may be expressed by Commonwealth/ Colonial Governments. HMG recognise the interest which many of these governments have in the British
nationality law.
2 CONFIDENTIAL
/b.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.