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GR$ 440
CONFIDENTIAL
FM BRUSSELS
TO DESKBY 12170OZ FCO.
TELNO 198
OF 121507Z JUNE 87
CONFIDENTIAL
INFO DESKBY 130100Z PEKING
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP BRUSSELS
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
PEKING TELERAMS NOS. 1091 AND 1092: HONG KONG AND THE CCC.
SUMMARY
1.
DICKERSON CONFIRMS HIS VIEW THAT THE BEST CHANCE TO SECURE A NON-CONTENTIOUS, NON-POLITICAL OUTCOME IS TO PRESENT OUR DECLARATIONS FIRST TO THE POLICY COMMISSION, WHO HE BELIEVES WILL RECOMMEND FAVOURABLY TO THE PLENARY COUNCIL MEETING. HE ADVISES AGAINST RAISING THE ISSUE FROM THE TECHNICAL TO THE POLITICAL LEVEL BY LOBBYING BEFOREHAND. HE OBSERVES THAT IN ANY CASE NOTHING CAN BE LOST BY THIS PROCEDURE SINCE IF HE CANNOT OBTAIN CONSENSUS AT THE POLICY COMMISSION HE WOULD PUT THE QUESTION FOR MAIL BALLOT AND LOBBYING IN CAPITALS COULD BE DONE THEN. HE WILL KEEP OUR DELEGATIONS IN OTTAWA CLOSELY INFORMED.
DETAIL
2. AS REPORTED BY TELEPHONE THIS MORNING, I HAD ALREADY HEARD OF PEKING'S CONCERN FROM MY CHINESE COLLEAGUE AND WE HAD AGREED TO CALL JOINTLY ON THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE CCC THIS AFTERNOON. AT THE REQUEST OF MY CHINESE COLLEAGUE (WHO SEEMS TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE FRENCH INVITATION TO THE ENGLISH AT FONTENOY) | OUTLINED OUR JOINT CONCERN THAT A REPETITION BY INDIA OR JAPAN OF THE LINE THEY HAD TAKEN LAST YEAR IN RELATION TO HONG KONG'S NEW STATUS IN THE GATT MIGHT FRUSTRATE THE STEPS WHICH THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ENVISAGED FOR THE ADMISSION OF HONG KONG TO THE CCC. THIS RAISED THE QUESTIONS WHETHER THE UK AND CHINA OUGHT TO DO SOME PRELIMINARY LOBBYING: AND,
IF SO, WHETHER THE WHOLE EXERCISE SHOULD BE SLOWED DOWN TO ENABLE IT TO TAKE EFFECT.
3.
DICKERSON REPLIED ON THE LINES SUMMARISED IN PARA. 1 ABOVE. HE SAID HE MIGHT BE WRONG, BUT HIS WHOLE INSTINCT WAS THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THIS THROUGH THE POLICY COMMISSION AND PLENARY COUNCIL AS A TECHNICAL QUESTION. IN FACT HONG KONG HAD BEEN TREATED IN THE CCC AS A MEMBER FOR MANY YEARS AND NO QUESTIONS HAD BEEN RAISED THERE WHEN A SIMILAR CONSIDERATION AROSE IN RESPECT OF THE APPLICATION OF THE GATT VALUATION CODE. IF CONSENSUS WERE NOT REACHED IN THE POLICY COMMISSION THE SITUATION WOULD BE NO DIFFERENT FROM THAT WHICH WOULD HAVE OBTAINED IF HE HAD NOT SUGGESTED CUTTING
A CORNER BUT INSISTED THAT THERE WAS NO TIME BEFORE OTTAWA FOR
ANYTHING BUT A MAIL BALLOT. IT WAS SURELY WORTH A TRY AND HE COULD SEE NO ADVANTAGE IN SLOWING DOWN THE APPROACH HE HAD SUGGESTED.
CONFIDENTIAL
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