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Mr Spreckley
Private Secretary
EC COMMON FORMAT PASSPORT
Problem
Mr Willingh PA
We spoke
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5/3
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J8.3.
1. The Home Secretary has now replied to the Secretary of State's minute of 17 February, agreeing to the proposed joint memorandum to OD colleagues, subject to a number of amendments.
See C +0
Recommendation
2. I recommend that the Secretary of State should now send the draft OD paper to the Prime Minister under cover of the attached draft minute. The Home Secretary's amendments are incorporated.
Argument and Background
3.
Recent discussion in Brussels suggests that a solution permitting us to put off the introduction of the Common passport until we are ready to introduce the ICAO format is likely to be acceptable
to other member states.
4. Since the Secretary of State wrote to the Home Secretary, the
Dutch have urged us to reach agreement in time for the European
Council in Maastricht on 23 March to launch the Common format passport, though they would not want the subject discussed if prior agreement has not been reached.
5. A further complication arises from current anxieties in Hong Kong over the Nationality Bill. Hong Kong and General Department have pointed out that although there is no point of substance involved for Hong Kong, any announcement about a common format passport could lead to misunderstanding in Hong Kong. The Secretary of State is
visiting Hong Kong on 29 March.
6.
The two preceding paragraphs raise points of tactics and timing which will probably need to be considered further in OD, but, now that we have the Home Secretary's agreement, we should seek
/to
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.