TNAG-0866-FCO40-1076-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1979 — Page 15

GR 150

ONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 171708Z DEC 79

CONFIDENTIAL

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (GOV AND BCARFE)

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1050 OF 17 DECEMBER

INFO PRIORITY PRETORIA

(521)

HKKI8H! PA.

PRETORIA TELNO 992: U.K./SOUTH AFRICA AIR SERVICES.

529

1. BRITISH AIRWAYS WOULD NOT WANT TO BE SEEN TO BE OPPOSING THE SA A APPLICATION. ALTHOUGH YOU DID NOT SPECIFICALLY SAY SO IN YOUR TEL 1418 WE ASSUME THAT C P A AT THE TIME WERE OPPOSED TO GRANTING THE SA A REQUEST. HAVE THEY IN FACT SINCE THEN BEEN APPROACHED BY SA A AND INDICATED, AS MR BOTHA SUGGESTS, THAT THEY HAVE NO OBJECTIONS (PARA 1 OF TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE) ?

see (530

IF THAT WERE TO BE THE CASE THEN THE DOT WOULD NOT FEEL OBLIGED TO SUSTAIN THEIR OBJECTIONS ON AIR SERVICE GROUNDS.

*

2. THAT ASIDE, NOW THAT THE MATTER HAS BEEN RAISED AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL AND FOR OVERRIDING POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS (NOT LEAST OVER RHODESIA) WE WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO REACT FAVOURABLY TO THE S A GOVERNMENTS REQUEST. UNLESS THEREFORE YOU CONTINUE TO SEE VERY STRONG REASONS TO THE CONTRARY WE ARE DISPOSED TO AGREE TO PERMIT S A A TO EXTEND THEIR ONCE-A-WEEK B 747 SERVICE BEYOND HONG KONG TO TAIPEH, WITHOUT RIGHTS.

3. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

*

CARRINGTON

FILES

MAED

S AF D

HK & GD

MISS BROWN

[COPIES SENT TO CAD/DOT]

COPIES TO

MR BRYANT

CAIR/DOT

MR STABLES

CAIR/DOT

CONFIDENTIAL

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