TNAG-1252-FCO40-1585-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 12

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Noting

It was impossible to be more precise than that. that progress in the talks had been slow; Mr Horne asked when we expected the negotiations to move on to a substantive phase. I said that we hoped that the pace would accelerate before too long but it was impossible to forecast when that might be. In answer to another question, I said that the position regarding the Governor's partici- pation in the talks was as it had been stated in public: that he would go at the appropriate time. Again, I could not usefully predict how soon he might visit Peking.

(R J T McLaren)

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14.4.83

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Sir J Mason KCMG, CANBERRA A C Galsworthy Esq, PEKING R D Clift Esq, HKGD, FCO

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