x 11
Hub 020/2
12 MAY 1907
RA E Gordon Esq
ECD (E)
FCO
Dear Robert,
MACAU
CONFIDENTIAL ·
9.
agree
An EC based app.sack asouli
brake us to take a lower pr. fall in HK nationality rooms and should leave us less exposed in in Key
Hay Hay to accusations over what is persived advantages of a
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Will
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LISBON
6 May 1987
M. Hill Mr. Hum S
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314/5
that is suita
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well for if EC reasons are
quite
pressure
suits us (HKD)
mt
EC reasons are voed to
the Portuguese over nationality.
Tom With 1/5
1. Please refer to your teleletter of 2 April and my Interim reply of 7 April abou the possible entry of Macanese of Portuguese nationality into the EC.
The
2. I now enclose a record of a community briefing given by the leader of the Portuguese negotiating team. As you will see, my Ambassador took the opportunity to ask appropriate questions. fact that the Portuguese Political Director did not choose to comment is noteworthy, bearing in mind his recent conversation with our own Political Director. Both the Ambassador and I followed up that conversation with the deputy Political Director and Under-Secretary responsible for bilateral relations, Shearman de Macedo. He confirmed that the Portuguese do not at the moment consider that there is a problem and consequently are not doing any work on it.
3. You will wish to consider with the Home Office whether you are satisfied with the Portuguese assurances about the likely numbers involved. If you still want to try to force them to change their attitude, we shall need to take firmer action. This might best be a formal approach from the Ambassador to the Foreign Minister, or possibly an approach in Brussels, specifically involving the Ministerial Conference Conclusions. Either course is likely to cause some offence for the reasons in para 3 of my teleletter of 7 April. In any event, now that elections here have been set for 19 July, we recommend postponing any formal action until the autumn. The caretaker administration is specifically prevented by the Constitution form considering any controversial business, and nothing will in any case be considered in the August holiday month. Meanwhile, it would be helpful to know what possibilities there are for action in Brussels. Our preliminary view is that a bilateral approach here, citing sensitivities in Hong Kong would be more likely to succeed.
4. We presume that you will have briefed Mr Waddington, who is visiting here for a Council of Europe congress on migration next
CONFIDENTIAL
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