TNAG-1743-FCO40-2462-Visits-by-FCO-officials-to-Hong-Kong--including-visit-by-Lor-1988 — Page 199

027

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 48

OF 071705Z JANUARY 88

CONFIDENTIAL

HRB 02711

Г...

15 JAN 1988

FOLLOWING PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM HUM, HKD

VISIT BY LORD GLENARTHUR

125405

MDHOAN 6129

TOP COPY @ DIST ?

1. LORD GLENARTHUR IS SEEKING APPROVAL TO VISIT SEOUL IN LATE FEBRUARY TO ATTEND THE INAUGURATION OF THE NEW KOREAN PRESIDENT, AND TO MAKE OTHER ASSOCIATED VISITS.

2. ON CURRENT PLANNING HE WOULD BE ABLE TO STOP OVER BRIEFLY IN HONG KONG. HE WOULD ARRIVE FROM SEOUL AT 2125 ON FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY AND TRAVEL ON TO KATHMANDU AT 1200 ON SATURDAY 27 FEBRUARY.

3. WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO KNOW WHETHER YOU FEEL SUCH A VISIT WOULD BE PRACTICABLE AND USEFUL. WE SHOULD ALSO WELCOME YOUR ADVICE ON HOW LORD GLENARTHUR COULD BEST USE HIS VERY LIMITED TIME IN HONG KONG. ON 26 FEBRUARY HE COULD SCARCELY DO MORE THAN

HAVE A QUIET NIGHTCAP WITH YOU CHE WOULD HAVE DINED ON THE AIRCRAFT). FOR THE SATURDAY MORNING THE OPTIONS SEEM TO BE FURTHER PRIVATE DISCUSSIONS WITH YOURSELF: A MEETING WITH YOUR SENIOR ADVISERS: AND A SHORT MEETING WITH EXCO. DO YOU FEEL THAT EXCO WOULD EXPECT A MEETING, EVEN ON SUCH A SHORT STOPOVER?

4. AS YOU ARE ALREADY AWARE, LORD GLENARTHUR IS PLANNING A SUBSTANTIVE VISIT TO HONG KONG IN LATE MAY OR EARLY JUNE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH A VISIT TO CHINA. IT COULD BE EXPLAINED AT THE

TIME OF HIS STOPOVER THAT HE WOULD BE RETURNING TO HONG KONG FOR

A FULLER VISIT LATER IN THE YEAR.

5. WHERE THE PRESENTATION OF THE VISIT IS CONCERNED, OUR FEELING IS THAT IT COULD QUITE WELL BE ANNOUNCED AS NO MORE THAN A

TRANSIT STOP. LORD GLENARTHUR WOULD NOT WISH TO HOLD A FULL PRESS CONFERENCE, ALTHOUGH WE ARE SURE HE WOULD BE READY TO MEET THE PRESS BRIEFLY AT THE AIRPORT.

HOWE

YYYY

1

PAGE

CONFIDENTIAL

3