TNAG-1294-FCO40-1649-Visits-by-members-of-the-Office-of-the-Unofficial-Members-of-1984 — Page 7

CODE 18-77

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 02218

STRY

14 DEC 1984

Reference..

Rok

23

Miss Walker, HKD

HONG KONG:

1.

PARTICIPATION IN U.. ORGANISATIONS AND AGENCIES

I suggest it would be most helpful if those departments currently responsible for each of the organisations and agencies in question could comment first on the papers attached to your minute of 10 December.

In each case it would be valuable if they could, consulting their legal advisers as may be appropriate,

2.

3.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

-

identify the treaties by which these bodies are constituted (with Treaty Series or Command references if possible),

give their views of the status of Hong Kong at present within those bodies, and

suggest ways in which Hong Kong's position could be improved between now and 1997 to enable it to become as nearly autonomous as possible before that date.

At a later stage we shall need to consider what steps to ask the Chinese to take, in order to try to secure the survival of Hong Kong's most favourable status in each body after 1997.

4.

Although much of the burden of the planning on these matters will need to be pursued in Hong Kong, I think it would be helpful if we could let them have the raw material referred to in paragraph 2 above.

J. Burnows

14 December 1984

F Burrows

Legal Counsellor

(c: Mrs Thorphet Research Dept

Mr Hay - Edie UND

Hay-Edie

Mr Edwards Legal Counseller Nur Wye Research Dept. Miss Shepherd NTD.

CONFIDENTIAL