TNAG-1739-FCO40-2455-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-UK-1988 — Page 8

RICHARD MARGOLIS

Richard Margolis was born in 1950. He joined the Diplomatic

Service in 1972 after gaining a degree in Modern and Mediaeval Languages at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and served sub-

sequently in Peking, Paris and Hong Kong, mainly on the political side. He was a very good officer with a bright

future ahead of him in the Service, and we were sorry to

lose him when he decided to go into investment banking

in 1986. We have not heard how his new career is developing.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

Ms Bernadette Kelly

UK Delegation

Southern Cross Hotel MELBOURNE

Telephone 01- 270 3084

Your reference

Our reference

10

Date

2 December 1988

Deci Bernadette

WATTC RESERVATIONS

Enter +pa.

HKB 020/12 (news treaties to be applied (MK)

05DEC1

второй

Thank you for your fax of today's date which I have discussed with Ian Mathers. I have also consulted Hong Kong Department here. My answers to your questions are as follows:

(i) Yes; without any qualifying words a reservation on these lines would cover not only the United Kingdom but all UK dependent territories including Hong Kong.

(ii) Given that a reservation on the lines of (i) could be

withdrawn at a later stage either in its entirety or in respect of certain territories only, it is not necessary at this stage specifically to exclude Hong Kong from the scope of any reservation. There is also the difficulty that if the obligations of the Convention extend beyond 1997 we would have to consult the Chinese before applying the Convention to Hong Kong. It would therefore be preferable to saying nothing about Hong Kong in any UK reservation and consider separately the question of extending the Convention to Hong Kong.

(iii) N/A

(iv) As mentioned it might be preferable to refrain from

referring specifically to Hong Kong but if there are strong reasons of policy for making a reservation for Hong Kong only and given that ITU practice is for reservations to be made at the time of the adoption of the Final Act, I confirm the language I suggested is acceptable.

Your Kevin

CC:

Mr Mathers,

Mr Mills,DTI;

DTI Sols

K J Chamberlain

Mr Wood, HKD FCO