TNAG-1094-FCO40-1344-European-Community-common-format-passports-Hong-Kong-and-Dep-1981 — Page 33

Mr Willing

Al. heep in chance

Cord wit

ECD (1),

ben't of suddenly

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J 24/2

Community cintiatives hoe on

Caling off after lying around for ages,

DA

J25.2.

GRPS 600

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FRAME GENERAL

FM UKREP BRUSSELS 191852Z FEB 81

TO IMMEDIATE F C.O

TELEGRAM NUMBER $72 OF 19 FEBRUARY 1981

•HICK 343/2

COREPER AMBASSADORS 19 FEBRUARY 19810.

2 0 MAR 1981

COMMON FORMAT PASSPORESK OFFICER

See ☺

3

SUMMARY

SYMPATHY

INDEX

REGISTRY

for Homice there does mit at 0 for Clift. The moment sear

tobe pruned chance of carly agreement on common te pampost. In fact

tord recently it was at least By can off. But ou

pentues acem to be pushing hand. I will chack present penituri with

for Ez(D)). It armed wit help at all with He ove nalimaliti if it were annsument

head before in Nationalis before settled down vrsne hand settled down hat Action Taken agreement hand been reached on

PGO 2013 a now tz. passport which womed OUR NEED FOR TIMING ELEXIBILITY AND OPTIONAL

bove distinct

PA

CHARACTER OF DATA SURPLUS TO ICAO FORMAT. NO MOVE ON LANGUAGES KEY one.

OR ORDER ON COVER. WORKING GROUP TO DRAFT FORMULA ON FLEXIBILITY

AND COREPER TO RECONSIDER NEXT WEEK.

DETAIL

different from presente Jniliam

2. RUTTEN PRESENTED THE ISSUE AS ONE ON WHICH THE UK WAS ISOLATED. ALL THAT WAS NECESSARY WAS TO ESTABLISH AT THE NEXT COUNCIL WHETHER THE UK WAS PREPARED TO GO AHEAD OR NOT. I DISPUTED THIS. I SAID DOSSIER PRESENTED IN DOCUMENT 4614 SEEMED TO BE RIGGED AGAINST US. WE NEEDED TO PRESENT COMMON FORMAT PASSPORTS AS CARRYING CLEAR PRACTICAL ADVANTAGES. I DID NOT BELIEVE THE FOUR OUTSTANDING ISSUES WERE AS IMPORTANT TO OTHERS AS TO US. IF A CONSENSUS ACCEPTABLE TO

US ON THEM COULD BE WORKED OUT, UK MINISTERS AND PARLIAMENT WOULD

BE MORE LIKELY TO CONSIDER IT FAVOURABLY. PRESSED FOR MY POSITION ON THE FOUR POINTS AND OUR VIEW OF WHICH WERE THE MORE IMPORTANT

I SAID FLEXIBILITY ON TIMING SEEMED TO ME BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT. PERHAPS FORMULA COULD BE ELABORATED ALLOWING STATES CHANGING THEIR

PASSPORTS FOR OTHER REASONS FLEXIBILITY NEEDED TO MAKE ALL CHANGES SIMULTANEOUSLY. ON INCLUSION OF DATA SURPLUS TO ICAO REQUIREMENTS

MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT IT HAD VIRTUALLY BEEN AGREED AT THE DECEMBER COUNCIL THAT IT SHOULD BE OPTIONAL. ONE STATE HAD AGREED

IN CONTEXT OF OVERALL PACKAGE AND LATER WITHDREW WHEN NO PACKAGE WAS READY. COULD I REPORT AGREEMENT TO OPTIONAL NATURE OF DATA AGAIN

POSSIBLE IN CONTEXT OF PACKAGE? NUMBERS ON DATA PAGE REFERRING TO

TRANSLATIONS INTO OTHER COMMUNITY LANGUAGES WERE MESSY AND EXPENSIVE TO PRINT. COULD NUMBERS AT LEAST BE OPTIONAL OR COULD IMMIGRATION

OFFICERS HAVE ON DESK TRANSLATION OF ICAO FORMAT INTO THEIR OWN

LANGUAGE? ORDER ON COVER OF COMMUNITY AND MEMBER STATE MIGHT BE LESS IMPORTANT, THOUGH I WAS NOT SURE OF YOUR VIEW ON THIS POINT. OUR PREFERENCE REFLECTED AGREEMENT THAT COMMON FORMAT PASSPORTS

TO BE NATIONAL DOCUMENTS. IMMIGRATION OFFICERS WOULD NATURALLY

LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE PASSPORT TO SEE WHICH COUNTRY THE HOLDER

CAME FROM. I UNDERSTOOD FEW MEMBERS FELT STRONGLY IN FAVOUR OF

OTHER ORDER. IF IT WERE ARGUED THAT THE ORDER WAS OF GREAT POLITICAL

SIGNIFICANCE, THEN IT MIGHT BECOME POLITICALLY IMPORTANT TO US.

232,

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13. FOUR