GRS 500
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELNO 3330
OF 27040OZ OCTOBER 96
Confidential
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, WASHINGTON INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO
NATIONALITY : BN(0): DISCUSSIONS WITH CGS/COMMISSIONERS: USA
THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY MET THE US CONSUL GENERAL (ANDERSON) AND HIS ASSISTANT (WILLEMS) TO DISCUSS THE NOTE ON FACILITATING TRAVEL OF BN(0)S TO THIRD COUNTRIES. DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION WAS
ALSO PRESENT.
2. ANDERSON REFERRED TO VICE-PRESIDENT BUSH'S REMARKS MADE IN HONG KONG LAST OCTOBER THAT THE US GOVERNMENT WOULD RECOGNISE THE BN(0) PASSPORT AND THE SUBSEQUENT NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE AMERICAN CONSULATE GENERAL ON 23 OCTOBER 1985. HE AFFIRMED THAT THE US GOVERNMENT SAW NO PROBLEM IN RECOGNISING THE NEW STATUS AND IN ACCEPTING THE PASSPORT WHICH MET THE CRITERIA AS DEFINED IN THE US IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT. WILLEMS WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT UNDER THE US VISA REGULATIONS, A PASSPORT MIGHT CONSIST OF TWO OR MORE DOCUMENTS AS LONG AS THESE DOCUMENTS, WHEN CONSIDERED TOGETHER, ASSURED THAT THE HOLDER WAS RETURNABLE TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY. HE SAID THAT THE BN (0) PASSPORT AND THE KONG IDENTITY CARD TOGETHER WOULD MEET THE US REQUIREMENTS.
HONG
3. ANDERSON SAID THAT HE HAD NOT YET HEARD FROM WASHINGTON BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE AMERICAN EMBASSY IN LONDON HAD BEEN APPROACHED ALONG SIMILAR LINES. HE ADDED THAT GIVEN VICE-PRESIDENT BUSH'S POSITIVE REMARKS, HIS CONSULATE COULD IMMEDIATELY RECOGNISE THE BN (0) PASSPORT AND ISSUE VISAS TO SUCH PASSPORT HOLDERS WITHOUT THE NEED TO AWAIT INSTRUCTIONS OR CONFIRMATION FROM WASHINGTON. IN ANY CASE, HE SAID HE DID NOT ENVISAGE WASHINGTON WOULD RAISE ANY PROBLEMS.
WHEN ASKED IF WE COULD REFER TO THIS VERY POSITIVE RESPONSE OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER CONSULAR REPRESENTATIVES, ANDERSON SAID HE WOULD HAVE NO OBJECTION TO US SAYING THAT THE US GOVERNMENT HAD ADOPTED THE SAME ATTITUDE AS THAT EXPRESSED BY THE VICE-PRESIDENT LAST YEAR.
Confidential
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1042
པ་ལ།འ་
2 8 OCT 1986
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