TNAG-1325-FCO40-1737-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1984 — Page 98

Sir P Cradock

Private Secretary

SECRET

HIKKO 4031

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

19SEP 1984,

DESK OFFICE

INDEX

ويلم

·EGISTRY

Action Taken

ma GR/28/9

FROM: A C GALSWORTHY, HKD

DATE: 19 September 1984

cc: PS/Mr Luce

PS/PUS

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FUTURE OF, HONG KONG: TIMING OF PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON THE

AGREEMENT

The Sy s'resme.

PROBLEM

To fix an approximate date for the Parliamentary debate on the

Agreement.

1.

RECOMMENDATION

That the Secretary of State should consider the possibility of

a debate in the second week of December.

2.

BACKGROUND

There is some urgency about this decision because it will determine the length of the test of acceptability in Hong Kong.

3.

4.

We are committed to signing the Agreement before the end of the

year. The Chinese are still under the impression that the

Parliamentary debate will be in November, but provided that the

commitment to signing before the end of the year is not threatened, I think that they will consider the actual timing of the

Parliamentary debate to be our domestic business.

5. When I last discussed this with him the Secretary of State took

the view that the latest safe date would be the first week of

December, ie 3-7 December. On the assumption that it would be necessary to publish the report of the Assessment Office and the

Monitors approximately one week before the debate, in order to enable Parliament to consider them, this would me an that we would

SECRET