TNAG-1419-FCO40-1902-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 145

CONFIDENTIAL

likelihood of

their

persuading the Home Office to improve

It has taken

formula must be extremely remote.

months to push them as far as their present position.

As far as the Hong Kong formula is concerned, I see no

possibility whatsoever of its being improved without

improvement in the Home Office formula.

an

Indeed the

Governor did well on 27 August to obtain the response

did on 5(iv).

In these circumstances, I see

alternative to our accepting the two formulae.

9.

no

The re is a timing consideration which further

mititates

against reopening the issues.

If at all

possible, HMG's reply as a whole to SCORRI should be agreed by 6 September in order to

to allow for publication

on 26 September (when Mr Waddington returns from the

US): this will then just allow time for major

resettlement countries to digest it before the UNHCR

Executive Committee meeting on 7 October, when we intend

to mount a major exercise to persuade them to take more

refugees in the light of our own response.

10. I therefore recommend that Mr Ricketts write to

Mr Fittall enclosing copies

White Paper as attached,

acceptance of the formula

letter of 14 August.

of the FCO inputs to the

and indicating grudging

proposed in Mr Fittall's

W. c. Ehrman

W G Ehrman

30 August 1985

Hong Kong Department

CONFIDENTIAL

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