TNAG-1546-FCO40-2110-International-Committee-of-the-Red-Cross-(ICRC)-proposal-to--1986 — Page 52

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#INFO TELELETTER HONG KONG

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13 DEC 1986

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Takan

D J MOSS, UKMIS GENEVA

FOLLOWING FOR: C O HUM ESQ, HONG KONG DEPT., FCO COPIED TO:

J D M BOYD ESQ, POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG

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INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (CRC): PROPOSAL TO OPEN A REGIONAL DELEGATION IN HONG KONG

1. I BELIEVE THAT ARRANGEMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE FOR PETER KUNG, THE CROAS DELEGATE-GENERAL FOR EUROPE, TO CALL ON YOU AT 4PM, ON WEDNESDAY, 10 DECEMBER. KUNG PLANS TO RAISE WITH YOU AN #CRC PROPOSAL TO OPEN A REGIONAL DELEGATION IN HONG KONG.

2. WHEN I SAW KUNG ON OTHER BUSHNESS ON FRIDAY EVENING NI ASKED HIM FOR FURTHER BACKGROUND. KUNG SAID THAT THE CRC HAD HAD A REGIONAL DELEGATION HIN MANILA FOR SOME TIME, BUT BECAUSE OF PRESSURES IN THE PHILIPPINES THIS WAS HINCREASINGLY UNABLE TO COPE WITH THE #CROS WORK ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION. FOR THIS REASON THE CRC HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR ANOTHER CENTRE UN WHICH TO ESTABLISH AN OFFICE WHICH WOULD COVER CHINA TAIWAN, JAPAN, THE TWO KOREAS HONG KONG AND MACAU. NATURALLY, BECAUSE OF NATS EXCELLENT POSITION AND COMMUNICATIONS, THEY HAD SETTLED UPON HONG KONG AS THE MOST LIKELY

SPOTI.

3. THE NEW REGIONAL DELEGATION WOULD COVER THE NORGES ACTIVITIES UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS, HINCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, VIKSHITS TO VIETNAMESE PRISONERS OF WAR HELD IN CHINA, AS WELL AS OTHER ACITVERTNES OF THE CRC, INCLUDING DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION--ON- INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW. THE BASIC AM WAS TO STRENGTHEN THE MCRC'S RELATIONS WITH GOVERNMENTS AND NATIONAL RED CROSS SOCIETIES WN THE COUNTRIES CONCERNED.

4. KUNG ADDED THAT THE #CRC HAD ALREADY TAKEN INFORMAL SOUNDINGS OF MANY OF THE GOVERNMENTS AND NATIONAL SOCIETIES AND THERE HAD BEEN NO OBJECTION TO THE IDEA OF THEMR SETTING UP A REGIONAL DELEGATION IN HONG KONG. HE CONFURMED THAT THESE SOUNDINGS HAD UNCLUDED PEKING. THE HONG KONG RED CROSS SOCIETY AND THE BRUTISH RED CROSS WERE ALSO SAND TO BE CONTENTS.

5.

AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND THE #CRC THOUGHT THE TUME HAD NOW COME TO MAKE A FORMAL APPROACH TO HMG TO SEEK OUR AGREEMENT #IN PRIUNGHIIPLE

HENCE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A REGIONAL DELEGATHON HIN HONG KONG. HIS PLANNED CALL ON YOU. # COMMENTED THAT WHILE WIT WAS RIGHT TO MAKE THIS INITIAL APPROACH #IN LONDON! # THOUGHT THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD WANT TO BE FULLY ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH A DECUSHION (AND FOR THIS REASON I AM COPYING THIS TELELETTER TO THE POLITICAL- ADVISER).

6. KUNG SAND THAT HE HMG (AND HONG KONG) WERE CONTENT WITH THE PROPOSAL IN PRINCIPLEY HE WOULD ALSO WANT TO HAVE AN UMITIKAL DISCUSSION OF THE MODALINTHES WITH YOU. WOULD WE, FOR EXAMPLE: WANT TO NEGOTIATE A SEPARATE ACCORD DE SHEGE *.*? OR WOULD THE CRC SIMPLY BE GOVERNED BY EXISTING LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING COMPARABLE ORGANISATIONS? THE LEGAL STATUS (MOR PERSONALITY**) OF THEIR OFFHICE WOULD NEED TO BE DETERMINED. IDT SOUNDED TO ME AS HE THEY WANTED QUASHDIPLOMATIC STATUS: WITH EXEMPTUON FROM LOCAL LEGAL PROCEEDINGS FOR THEAR OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES AND NMMUNITY FOR THEWR COMMUNICATIONS.

7.

KUNG ADDED THAT IF WE WERE CONTENT WITH THE HCRC'S PROPOSAL AND THE DETAILS HAD BEEN SORTED OUT IN TIME, THEY HAD HOPED TO OPEN THE

REGIONAL DELEGATION HN HONG KONG IN THE SPRING NEXT YEAR. KUNG

HMMSELF WOULD BECOME THE FIRST REGIONAL DELEGATE AND HIS DEPUTY-DESIGNATE, JEAN-FRANCOIS OLIWIER, COULD, IF APPROPRIATE, TRAVEL TO HONG KONG HA JANUARY TO DISCUSS ARRANGEMENTS IN DETAUL WITH THE AUTHORITIES THERE,

SIGNED D J MOSS

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