TNAG-1388-FCO40-1859-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Sino-British-Joint-Declaration-1985 — Page 83

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DD 240030Z PEKING

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DESKBY 240030Z

FM FCO 231720Z MAY 85

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 483 OF 23 MAY

122

AND TO HONG KONG

&

HKK

20677

1

040/12

RECEIVED REGISTRY

YOUR TELNO 804: HONG KONG AGREEMENT: RATIFICATION

28 MAY 1985

pcl No

1. WE HAVE NO DIFFICULTY WITH THE TEXT CONFIRMING THAT

RATIFICATION HAS TAKEN PLACE PROPOSED BY WANG JIAJI (ALTHOUGH

IN THE ENGLISH ANNOUNCEMENT SIR R EVANS WOULD PRECEDE ZHOU NAN).

2. WE DO HOWEVER HAVE A DIFFICULTY WITH MAKING SUCH AN

ANNOUNCEMENT IN LONDON ON 27 MAY. THAT DAY IS A BANK HOLIDAY.

MOREOVER WE IMAGINE THAT THE CHINESE WILL WANT TO ISSUE THE ANNOUNCEMENT IMMEDIATELY AFTER RATIFICATION (IE AROUND 3.30 AM

LONDON TIME). WE CAN CERTAINLY SEE NO POINT IN ISSUING IT LATER, SINCE THE NEWS OF RATIFICATION WILL HAVE BEEN CARRIED ON THE TAPES AT THE TIME OF THE CEREMONY. YOU SHOULD EXPLAIN

OUR DIFFICULTIES TO THE CHINESE AND PROPOSE THAT IN THE

CIRCUMSTANCES THE STATEMENT BE ISSUED SIMULTANEOUSLY BY THE MGA AND THE EMBASSY, AT A TIME AGREED BETWEEN YOU.

HOWE

HONG KONG AGREEMENT

LIMITED

HD/HKD

HD/FED

HD/PLANNING STAFF

HD/PUSD

DEP HD/PUSD

RESEARCH DEPT (MR WALKER)

PS

PS/MR LUCE

PS/PUS

SIR W HARDING

MR WILSON

SIR J FREELAND

COPIES TO: (VIA ADR)

MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT

MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS

MR MARTIN, ASST STAFF CABINET

OFFICE CABINET OFFICE MR DR C CHRISTOPHER CABINET OFF.

MR MALLABY

SIR P CRADDOCK, No. 10 DOWNING ST.

MR J CROWLEY, PUSD

CONFIDENTIAL