TNAG-1749-FCO40-2468-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1988 — Page 160

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CJR Meyer, News

20 May 1988 Mr Gillmore

Mr

McLaren

Mr Hum, HKD

Mr Colvin, SEAD

Mr Teasdale

Mr Fergusson

RA 158

/27 میں

HUKB 027/3

REC

24 MAY 1988

Private Secretary

HONG KONG: SECRETARY OF STATE'S BRIEFING OF THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA

1. I attach the list of those who have said that they will attend the briefing at 9.30am, 1CG, on Monday 23 May.

2. I suggest that the procedure should be the same as for yesterday's briefing, namely coffee first, ground rules set out by the Secretary of State, introductory remarks.

3. I assume that the Secretary of State still has his briefing pack from yesterday. The area in which the presentation struck me as a bit fuzzy is Vietnamese refugees. The problem is that such novelty as there is to be brought to the issue should be saved until the Secretary of State speaks in Hong Kong. But I think that the Secretary of State could with advantage be more explicit about UNHCR criteria to distinguish between political refugees and economic migrants; and make the key point that no one country, still less Hong Kong, should have to assume the human burden of Vietnam's abysmal economic mismanagement.

4. Mark Brayne of the BBC World Service has asked to do a curtain-raiser interview after the briefing, covering both Hong Kong and the Philippines. I recommend that the Secretary of State agrees to do this. The mega bulls should be sufficient briefing so far as Hong Kong is concerned. On the Philippines, I understand that the Department has submitted briefs for the Secretary of State's weekend box. The best thing will be to draw on the steering brief; but remaining imprecise for security reasons on movements outside Manila. The key points seem to me to be:

support for Mrs Aquino and the restoration of democracy;

support for the Philippines as a member of ASEAN (only member state which the Secretary of State has not yet visited);

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promotion of British interests, particularly commercial.

G/R.Meye

CJR Meyer

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