CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 19010OZ HONG KONG
TELNO 2124
OF 18163OZ OCTOBER 89
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
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070515 MDHOAN 5793
YOUR TELNO 3179 AND MY TELNO 1970: BASIC LAW: OMELCO SUBMISSION TO MINISTER OF STATE
1. WE HAVE GIVEN CONSIDERABLE THOUGHT TO THE TERMS OF MR MAUDE'S REPLY TO LYDIA DUNN'S LETTER OF 19 SEPTEMBER. WE HAVE CONCLUDED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATE TO GIVE AN ARTICLE BY ARTICLE RESPONSE ALONG THE LINES OF TURS. AS YOU KNOW, OUR PUBLIC LINE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT WE ARE WILLING TO PASS ON TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES CONCERNS EXPRESSED TO US BY HONG KONG PEOPLE ABOUT THE BASIC LAW. WE HAVE NOT MADE PUBLIC OUR OWN CRITICISMS OF THE BASIC LAW OR, STILL LESS, THE EXTENT OF OUR EXCHANGES WITH THE CHINESE ON LEGAL EXPERTS CHANNELS. TO DIVERGE FROM THIS APPROACH IN A DOCUMENT WHICH MIGHT BECOME PUBLIC WOULD CARRY RISKS. THE CHINESE WOULD SEE IT AS A VIOLATION OF OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE BASIC LAW IS FOR THEM TO DRAFT BUT THAT THEY ARE PREPARED TO ACCEPT COMMENTS FROM US AS LONG AS THEY ARE PUT THROUGH PRIVATE CHANNELS. THIS WOULD OF COURSE JEOPARDISE ANY CHANCE WHICH REMAINS OF INFLUENCING THE FINAL VERSION OF THE BASIC LAW CAND OUR PROPOSAL FOR A FURTHER LEGAL EXPERTS MEETING).
2. WE HAVE THEREFORE PREPARED A DRAFT IN GENERAL TERMS WHICH ACKNOWLEDGES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ISSUES RAISED BY OMELCO AND OUR OWN CONCERN ABOUT THEM, POINTS TO THE CHANNELS THROUGH WHICH HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE KNOWN THEIR VIEWS AND REFERS TO EXCHANGES BETWEEN US AND THE CHINESE WHICH HAVE BECOME PUBLIC IN WHICH WE HAVE URGED THEM TO TAKE THOSE VIEWS FULLY INTO ACCOUNT. GRATEFUL FOR ANY COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT IN MIFT BY 19090OZ.
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