CONFIDENTIAL
GPS 240
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 360615Z JUL 83
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 960 OF 6 JULY 1983
INFO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA AND PRIORITY PEKING
TOP COPY
627
(191)
192
MKK040/5
21 CANBERRA TELNO 344 (NOT TO PEKING) AND MY TELSNOS 953 AND 954 RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
19
-
- 8 JUL 1983
REGISTRY jAction Take
DESK OFFICK
1. IT WILL BE CLEAR FROM MY TELNO 953 THAT MR HAYDEN'S REPORTE INDEX REMARK THAT HE HAD QUOTE GAINED ASSURANCES FROM THE ACTING GOVERNOR AND OTHERS IN HONG KONG THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH TRANSITION OF SOVEREIGNTY AND CONTROL UNQUOTE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BASED ON MY CONVERSATION WITH HIM ON 4 JULY. THIS REMARK DOES NOT (NOT) HOWEVER APPEAR IN THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE PROVIDED BY THE AUSTRALIANS. IN ANSWER TO A DIRECT ENQUIRY, THE AUSTRALIAN COMMISSIONER HAS ASSURED US THAT THIS WAS A FULL TRANSCRIPT. HE WAS PRESENT AT THE CONFERENCE AND DOES NOT RECALL MR HAYDEN AS HAVING SPOKEN IN THESE TERMS.
2. FURTHERMORE, ACCORDING TO THE TRANSCRIPT, MR HAYDEN DID NOT SAY THAT WHEN HE VISITS CHINA QUOTE HE WOULD SEEK FURTHER ASSURANCES FROM CHINESE LEADERS THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN THE HANDING BACK OF HONG KONG TO CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY UNQUOTE. HE SAID ONLY THAT HE WOULD BE QUOTE RAISING THIS MATTER (HONG KONG) ONCE AGAIN UNQUOTE. ALL RELEVANT EXTRACTS FROM FULL TRANSCRIPT ARE
IN MIFT.
PA
un
CHIK
See 230
3. AS REGARDS PARA 2 OF CANBERRA TUR, IT IS CERTAINLY OUR IMPRESSION FROM WHAT MR HAYDEN SAID TO ME, AND AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE, THAT THERE WAS SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION OF HONG KONG BETWEEN MR HAYDEN AND WU XUEQIAN IN THE MARGINS OF ZHAO ZIYANG'S VISIT TO AUSTRALIA. WU EVIDENTLY OUTLINED THE CHINESE POSITION IN SOME DETAIL. MR HAYDEN DID NOT SAY WHAT POINTS HE MADE. HADDON - CAYE
FUTURE OF HONG KONG
LIMITED
COPIES TO:
HD/HKD
HD/FED
MR BURROWS
HD/PLANNING STAFF
MR MARTIN
HD/PUSD
HD/SPD
PS
MR FLOWER
PS/LADY YOUNG
PS/MR LUCE
PS/PUS
SIR J BULLARD
MR GIFFARD
MR DONALD MR WRIGHT
SIR I SINCLAIR LEGAL ADVISER
LEGAL ADVISERS
ASSESSMENTS STAFF CABINET OFFICE
PUSD
MR COLES NO 10 DOWNING ST
SIR A PARSONS
19
MR WALKER, RESEARCH DEPT (GOGGS)
MR ROBERTS NEWS D
CONFIDENTIAL
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