TNAG-0777-FCO40-981-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1978 — Page 190

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

IMMEDIATE

Gr

310

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 1984/1

43

CYPHER CAT A

FM OSLO 251255Z

CONFIDENTIAL

TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 32 OF 25 JANUARY

INFO ROUTINE COPENHAGEN AND STOCKHOLM

R.

h

-5 A 1073

No lal

YOUR TELNO 10 OF 24 JANUARY: AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT.

1. I TOOK ACTION AS INSTRUCTED THIS MORNING WITH THE ECONOMIC

DIRECTOR OF THE MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS. I ALSO SPOKE TO THE

PUS OF THE MFA ABOUT THIS MATTER YESTERDAY MENTIONING MY CONCERN

THAT IT SHOULD CAUSE IRRITATION BETWEEN OUR TWO GOVERNMENTS. I ALSO

MENTIONED IT THIS MORNING TO THE POLITICAL DIRECTOR OF THE MFA.

2. THE ECONOMIC DIRECTOR (TORE BOGH) SAID IN REPLY TO MY REQUEST FOR

A BRIEFING ON THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE SCANDINAVIAN DENUNCIATION OF

THE ASA, THAT BASICALLY THE SCANDINAVIANS CONSIDERED THAT THE AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT IS THE PRODUCT OF AN AGE THAT IS PAST AND THAT UP TO DATE ARRANGEMENTS ARE REQUIRED TO MEET THE REALITIES OF INTER- NATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION TODAY. ALSO THE SCANDINAVIANS DID NOT LIKE HAVING TO DEAL WITH MORE THAN ONE BRITISH OPERATOR AND WERE QUITE HAPPY WITH THE SAS/BA AIRLINE RELATIONSHIP. THIS RELATIONSHIP WAS IMPORTANT SINCE MANY PROBLEMS RELATING TO CIVIL AVIATION COULD BE SORTED OUT BETWEEN THE OPERATORS WITH THE BLESSING OF THE IR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS., BUT IF SAS HAD TO DEAL WITH SEVERAL BRITISH OPERATORS THIS WOULD NOT BE SO PRACTICABLE AND SATISFACTORY A WAY OF REGULATING

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND SCANDINAVIA. THERE MIGHT THEREFORE BE A CASE FOR BRITAIN ESTABLISHING AN AIRLINE OPERATORS' COMMITTEE WHICH WOULD BE THE SOLE POINT OF CONTACT FOR SAS BOGH ALSO SAID THAT THE SCANDINAVIANS HAD NOT REJECTED THE FIVE APPLICATIONS MERELY BECAUSE THEY HAD DENOUNCED THE AGREEMENT : HE COULD ASSURE ME THAT EACH APPLICATION HAD BEEN CONSIDERED ON ITS MERITS BUT HAD NOT FOUND FAVOUR WITH THE RELEVANT SCANDINAVIAN

AUTHORITIES.

CONFIDENTIAL

13. THE

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