TNAG-0941-FCO40-1160-Visit-by-Lord-Carrington--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-1980 — Page 6

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FROM UKM1S NEW YORK 2122062 SEPT 80

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 8 DATED 21 SEPTEMBER 82

INFO PRIORITY F C O

FOLLOWING FROM, HEAD OF NEWS DEPARTMENT IN NEW YORK

[pa\

YOUR TELNOS 1216 AND 1219: SECRETARY OF STATES VISIT TO CHINA: PRESS

(54)

{

1. FCO SPOKESMAN HAS NOT SAID, EVEN UNATTRIBUTABLY, THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATES TALKS IN PEKING WILL INCLUDE QUOTE LONG TERM FUTURE OF HONG KONG UNQUOTE. AT OUR CURTAIN RAISER BRIEFING ON FRIDAY 19 SEPTEMBER THIS ASPECT WAS NOT EVEN MENTIONED.

2. I HAVE ASKED CO1 TO ISSUE A CORRECTION TO THEIR LPS PIECE. 3. IN TALKING TO THE PRESS HERE WE SHALL TAKE THE LINE IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF FCO TELNO 809 TO HONG KONG. WE SHALL NOT OF COURSE DENY THAT HONG KONG WILL BE DISCUSSED IN PEKING: IT IS AFTER ALL A SUBJECT OF DIRECT INTEREST TO BOTH GOVERNMENTS. BUT WE SHALL CONTINUE TO DISCOURAGE ANY IDEA THAT THE LONG TERM FUTURE OF HONG KONG WILL ITSELF BE A SUBJECT UNDER DISCUSSION BY CONCENTRATING ON THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEMS OF IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEES. THE IDEA OF QUOTE SECRET TALKS UN QUOTE WE SHALL DISMISS AS MERELY SILLY.

PARSONS

LIMITED

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FED

01D

NEWS D

PS

PSILPS

PS/MR BLAKER

PS/PUS

SIR.E. YOUDE

MR DONALD

COPIES

TO

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE

LONDON

THIS TELEGRAM

WAS NOT ADVANCED

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