Mrelift
HK K 1846
CONFIDENTIAL
то
Jis
Hong Kong and General Department
CAA AWARD TO BCAL
After consulting Miss Brown, I spoke to Mr Roberts about his telegram No Allet 15 of 15 March to BCARFE, Hong Kong.
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I pointed out that paragraph 2(iv) appeared to be not wholly ..nconsistent with paragraph 3 of FCO telegram No 236 to Hong Kong; furthermore it could be taken as being prejudicial to the outcome of the Secretary of State for Trade's decision on any appeal made by CPA.
2. Mr Roberts took my comments on the sensitivity of the issue. But he pointed out that BCARFE is in effect a member of his own staff positioned in Hong Kong and that what he was doing in the telegram under discussion was merely briefing him to take the same line that he himself will be taking when he lunches with Mr Keep, the DGCA, Hong Kong, next Friday. He also pointed out that the suggested line was only to be taken in private conver- sation with, in effect, trusted contacts and nothing was to be said in public. Mr Roberts added that the situation in practice is even more cut and dried than suggested in the telegram, namely that the Secretary of State for Trade has never reversed a CAA decision; the point of Mr Wilson referring to this in Hong Kong would be to damp down false hopes that an appeal would be likely to succeed. I felt bound to accept this explanation.
3. Mr Roberts added, interestingly, that Mr Nott had volunteered to him the view that the CAA decision was a good one. Mr Roberts will not put this on paper and naturally would not like it broad- cast. But he thought we might find it useful to have this private indication of Mr Nott's likely reaction to the CPA appeal (which Mr Roberts thinks inevitable and is not concerned to discourage).
M.
cc Miss Brown
18 March 1980
146
Mishu M. Willianston Jis.3
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M St E Burton
Maritime, Aviation and Environment
Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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