D Healy Esq
ESSD
DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRY
POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS DIVISION Ashdown House 123 Victoria Street
Telex 8813148 DIHQ G Telegrams Advantage London SW1
London SW1E 6RB
Telephone
Direct Line 01-212 8684 Switchboard 01-212 7676
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Whitehall
London SW1
Your reference
Our reference
20116.
Date
ME C20116
2: JUN 1982
Rask
OPB/F/66
17 June 1982
HONG KONG
RESTRICTED POSTAL UNION"
Please see the enclosed correspondence from the Hong Kong Post Office about the steps they have been taking to gain observer status at Executive Council meet- ings of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU). We do not have a full set of the background papers or a copy of the membership rules, but it is clear that only sovereign states can become members of the Union and that the conditions for attending meetings as observers are equally restrictive.
On the face of it the proposal that the United Kingdom should receive the formal invitation but that Hong Kong would then represent us at the meeting is obviously attractive, but may in practice create a number of problems. Firstly, a majority of the APPU-EC membership will have to vote in favour, and it is conceivable that the Peoples Republic of China will have strong views to offer. Furthermore, the offer extended for the 1975 Congress was not specific to Hong Kong. Since there are other dependencies in the area, it seems feasible that for instance Brunei might also wish to participate in the coming APPU meeting.
Clearly we will need to carefully consider how we reply to this request, and I would be grateful for your early views on how we should proceed.
Tem
Cutter
T & CAWTHORNE
V339
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