TNAG-1258-FCO40-1591-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 18

CONFIDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

Ale 040/5

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 29 DEC 1983

DESK OFFICER

Telephone 01-

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

Action Taken

664)

RJ Alston Esq

United Kingdom Delegation

NATO

Brussels

Your reference

Our reference

HKK 040/5

Date

20 December 1983

630

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: NATO EXPERT WORKING GROUP ON ASIA.

1.

Thank you for your letter 022/508/1 of 5 December warning of the next meeting in February. It is helpful to know how these things work.

2. We consider, on further reflection, that it is too early to think of briefing our NATO partners, or establishing a line on Hong Kong as soon as February 1984. On the other hand I can see that if we do nothing at all we risk causing further unhappiness or unprepared and unhelpful discussion/speculation.

3.

On balance therefore we think it would be best if you or someone else from UKDEL could have a private word with the International Staff before they put out a call for contributions, undertaking, if they would like, to supply a brief contribution on Hong Kong nearer the time of the meeting. This contribution would be pretty bland and would, we suggest, be accompanied by a statement which our representative could make, saying that we were not yet in a position to brief our NATO allies, but would of course look forward to doing so when the time was ripe.

W Morris

Hong Kong Departmer

cc: Mr Thomson (FED K258)

Mr Segar (SEAS W86a)

Mr Wetherell (DEFENCE E313)

Mr Longmire (Research OAB 2/125)

See tikko40/15

© 1904

CONFIDENTIAL