TNAG-1468-FCO40-1997-Visits-by-members-of-the-Office-of-the-Unofficial-Members-of-1986 — Page 77

OCMIAN 0082

CONFIDENTIAL

00 PEKIN

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

031530Z SEP

GRS 268

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 1875

OF 031530Z SEPTEMBER 86

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

60082

1

FOLLOWING FOR GOVERNOR FROM HUM, HKD

YOUR TELNO 2869 (NOT TO PEKING): EXCO VISIT TO LONDON

1.

I ASSUME THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN HONG KONG TERMS IF, AS ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, A STATEMENT WAS ISSUED BY NUMBER 10 AFTER THE MEETING WHICH YOU AND THE UNOFFICIALS WILL HAVE WITH THE PRIME MINISTER ON 10 SEPTEMBER.

2.

MIFT CONTAINS A FIRST DRAFT. IT IS LARGELY

SELF-EXPLANATORY. IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO ADD TO IT IN THE LIGHT

OF THE FURTHER TELEGRAMS WHICH YOU PROMISE IN TUR, BUT IT IS HARD TO ANTICIPATE ANY FURTHER SUBJECTS WHICH SHOULD BE GIVEN A PUBLIC

MENTION.

3.

WE HAVE CONSIDERED WHETHER TO INCLUDE A DIRECT REFERENCE TO

DISCUSSION OF THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT. WE CONCLUDED THAT THIS CULD GIVE RISE TO UNDUE SPECULATION, GIVEN THE PRESS RUMOURS THAT QUOTE MAJOR STRATEGIC DECISIONS UNQUOTE ON THE 1987 REVIEW MIGHT BE

TAKEN.

HOWEVER IT IS ALSO ARGUABLE THAT TO OMIT ANY REFERENCE TO

THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT WOULD ONLY CAUSE DISBELIEF, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLITICAL

SYSTEM WAS DISCUSSED IN YOUR TALKS WITH THE CHINESE.

HKK 02615.

RECE

- 8 SEP 1986

PA

lukan

1 CONFIDENTIAL

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