TNAG-0863-FCO40-1073-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1979 — Page 123

PP BANGKOK

GR 491

CONFIDENTIAL

Min Brown

HKR 18411511

Taif

Copy to! Mr Mc Lave

No

HR Dept

2284

1

(in care not seen) 49

MRMurland

B202/20/2

Miss Stoddart

CONFIDENTIAL

FM D.O.T. 191620Z FER 79

TO PRIORITY BANGKOK

TELEGRAM NUMPER ALLOT 3 OF 19 FEBRUARY.

Enter

SEAD

мрим

21/2

MAED

PERSONAL FOR ROGERS FROM STEELE

148

YOUR ALLOT 1

1. THE RECORDS OF THE 1975/76 TALKS DEMONSTRATE THAT, AS YOU SAY, YOU WERE STRICTLY IMPARTIAL IN WHAT YOU SAID. DESPITE THIS, EVERY

HONG KONG OFFICIAL I HAVE MET IS CONVINCED THAT YOU ARE PERSONALLY

HOSTILE TO THE IDEA OF A C.P.A. SERVICE TO THE U.K. THIS MAY RE

BECAUSE YOU HAVE STRESSED THE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES YOU SEE IN

SUCH A PROPOSAL. BUT WHATEVER THE REASON, I SHOULD BE GLAD IF YOU

WOULD LEAN OVER BACKWARDS TO AVOID GIVING THAT IMPRESSION.

2. I AM NOT GREATLY WORRIED BY THE THOUGHT OF A CONFRONTATION

BEFORE THE C.A.A. WHATEVER HAPPENS IN TALKS BEFOREHAND, AND

WHATEVER THE H.K. PROCEDURES ARE, C.P.A. WILL HAVE TO APPLY TO THE

C.A.A. FOR A LICENCE, WHO CAN, AND FREQUENTLY DO, TAKE INTO ACCOUNT

RELEVANT CHARTER SERVICES. WHATEVER THEIR DECISION, THERE IS THE

POSSIBILITY OF AN APPEAL TO THE S. OF S., ESPECIALLY AS LAKER AS

WELL AS B.A. MAY BE INVOLVED IN THE CASE. HENCE THE NEED NOT TO

GIVE ANY IMPRESSION OF BIAS. NOR DO I PATE THE RISK OF A CIVIL

AVIATION U.D.I. ARISING FROM AN ADVERSE C.A.A. DECISION VERY HIGH.

THAT IS MORE LIKELY TO ARISE FROM A BIAS TOWARDS B.A.'S INTERESTS

WHERE, IN OUR NEGOTIATIONS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES THERE IS A CLASH

WITH C.P.A.'S: AND YOU ARE ALWAYS CAREFUL TO AVOID THAT.

3.

I AGREE WITH YOU THAT IF C.P.A. WERE GRANTED A LICENCE HONG

1

CONFIDENTIAL

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