TNAG-1491-FCO40-2049-Future-of-Hong-Kong-General-Agreement-on-Tariffs-and-Trade-(-1986 — Page 190

CONFIDENTIAL

J.

Рукет We stid. accept

а

this advice, I think

1

you aree dfr

Mr Galsworthy, HKD

tel pe

In 24. था

From: J A Shepherd, ECD(E)

20 January 1986

cc: Dr Wilson

NEGOTIATIONS WITH CHINA OVER HONG KONG AND THE GATT: BRIEFING THE COMMISSION

32 2

I had already

35

1. Thank you for your minute of 17 January. discussed UKRep telegram number 117 with Miss Spencer. She confirmed my view that both Messrs Abbot and Luyten are wholly reliable. Sir D Hannay also shares this view from some 20 years' of working with Mr Luyten, who - in operational terms - is the more important of the two for us.

2.

I fully appreciate your nervousness and the delicacy of the moment. I am normally among the first to express scepticism about the leakiness of the Brussels machine as a whole. But we have over the years had to develop a feel for those in it who can be trusted: we have had to take key Commission players into our confidence on many a sensitive issue. Handled correctly and you can rely on UKRep for that - the sort of briefing UKRep suggest should therefore be entirely safe and to our advantage.

baswept

HHH 04012

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

24 JAN 1986

FFICER

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

CONFIDENTIAL

J A Shepherd