TNAG-1390-FCO40-1862-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 52

CONFIDENTIAL

United Kingdom Delegation

To the North Atlantic Council OTAN/NATO 1110 Brussels

21

Telephone 242.67.75

KC Walker Esq Research Dept (Asia Section) FCO

Dear Ken.

Your reference

Our reference.

Date

HKK 040/15

2 APR 1985

27 March 1985

Mr Powell 0.5.

HKC

passage

h

Pä

Les

looks tavuless. We obviously wont

to avoid discussion of sensitive matters like the JLG, but are there any

"bull ports"-

I might send to UKDEL in case the Ambassador NATO EWG REPORT ON EASTERN AND SOUTHERN ASIA resto elaborate?

1. I enclose a copy of the NATO Experts Working Group (EWG) report on Eastern and Southern Asia which Jim Currie and Kathleen Kazer helped to draw up at the meeting in February. As you see, the report is due for discussion by the Council on 10 April. Because of the Easter break this means that the briefing for the Ambassador would need to be ready by Thursday. 4 April in order to arrive here in the bag on Tuesday 9 April. I will be away from 5-15 April, so you may want to send the

briefing direct to Adam Thomson who will deal with the Council in my absence.

LP29/3

2. This tight deadline reinforces our general guidelines on briefing. Briefing should be in the form of a set of general remarks either elaborating in the analysis of the report or, if necessary, commenting on developments which have occured since the report was drawn up. I should emphasise that the report is now in its final form and is not open to drafting amendments.

3. As you will know, we are not required to talk on each of the countries or regions covered in this report. Our comments will have more effect if we limit them to particular areas where we have some expertise. Subject to your views and those of copy addressees, therefore, I suggest that the Ambassador's briefing might usefully cover the following topics:

i) Afghanistan the Political Committee study on the situation will not have progressed very far by 10 April, so we could say something fairly substantive here.

ii) India, Sri Lanka, Bagladesh we may want to make particular mention of the elections in Bangladesh.

iii)

China and Hong Kong.

Yours

ever

ает

G N Loten

CONFIDENTIAL

/cc.