TNAG-1151-FCO40-1431-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-United-Nations-1983 — Page 21

CONFIDENTIAL

3

DSR 11C

C

Committee of 24 and included in its report to the

General Assembly. In October 1972 the report was

considered in plenary and on 2 November the General

Assembly approved it. The United Kingdom as usual

voted against this resolution, which was adopted by

a1]

99-5 (UK) -23, but did not participate in the discussion, Lor speak in explanation of the vote

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By the time the Committee of 24's report was discussed

Goverment

uld

in plenary the [UK] had decided that if the General

(the UK Assembly adopted the Committee's recommendation, it would

cease to transmit information on Hong Kong under

Article 73(e). This decision was based on the

Mies

(a)

following reasons:

reasoning u

Legal Advisers thought that if the Generay

Assembly approved the Committee of 24's report,

including the recommendation on Hong Kong, this

would imply that the General Assembly would also

consider that Article 73(e) was no longer

applicable to Hong Kong. Nevertheless they

advised that there was need to safeguard our

legal position on this matter and to this end

recommended that t be put on record that the

UK had decided to discontinue transmission because

no practical purpose would be served by continuing

transmission and not because the UK regarded the

General Assembly's action as altering the status

of Hong Kong or terminating the operation of

Article 73(e).

cle

A letter to this effect was sent

CONFIDENTIAL

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