CONFIDENTIAL
010646
MDHIAN 1555
PORTUGUESE WOULD BE SIMILARLY INTERESTED IN KEEPING IN CLOSE TOUCH, PARTICULARLY AS EVENTS IN HONG KONG HAD A FAR GREATER IMPACT ON MACAO THAN VICE VERSA. CATARINO SAID THAT MARIO GODINHO DE MATOS WOULD BE THE NEW NUMBER TWO AT THE EMBASSY IN PEKING. HE IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE PORTUGUESE JLG GROUP. RAMOS WOULD BE RETURNING TO MACAO ON SUNDAY CHE WILL BE JOINED BY HIS FAMILY WITHIN A MONTH OR TWO). HE WAS KEEN TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH MARTIN AND WAS SORRY THAT HIS WITHDRAWAL FROM MACAO HAD PREVENTED HIS PLANNED VISIT TO HONG KONG. CATARINO ALSO INTENDED TO ENCOURAGE THE PORTUGUESE EMBASSY IN LONDON TO KEEP IN REGULAR CONTACT WITH FCO MINISTERS AND OFFICIALS. CATARINO HIMSELF WOULD BE HAPPY TO TALK TO US ON A REGULAR BASIS. HE DOUBTED HOWEVER WHETHER HE WOULD HAVE TIME TO VISIT LONDON FOR CONSULTATIONS THIS AUTUMN. MOREOVER HE WANTED TO MASTER HIS NEW PORTFOLIO COMPLETELY BEFORE TALKING WITH OUR EXPERTS. HE AGREED THAT A VISIT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE EARLY NEXT YEAR. HE HAD HEARD MEANWHILE THAT MCLAREN WAS TO BE REPLACED BY GALSWORTHY. DID THIS MEAN THAT MCLAREN WAS MOVING TO HONG KONG ON A PERMANENT BASIS? (GRATEFUL FOR AN ANSWER FOR CATARINO).
8. HEAD OF CHANCERY WONDERED WHETHER CATARINO COULD ENLARGE ON THE
'NEW ROLE' FOR THE MACAO ADMINISTRATION. CATARINO SAID THAT CHINA HAD HITHERTO SOUGHT TO INTERFERE IN THE DECISIONS OF THE MACAO ADMINISTRATION ON DETAILED MATTERS SUCH AS THE MANAGEMENT OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. THE PORTUGUESE HAD BEEN FLEXIBLE BUT WERE NO LONGER WILLING TO BOW TO CHINESE DEMANDS. THE CHINESE WOULD NOW HAVE TO ADIDE STRICTLY BY THE LETTER OF THE JOINT DECLARATION, AND ACCEPT THAT THE JLG HAD NO SUPERVISORY ROLE OVER THE MACAO ADMINISTRATION. THEY HAD AGEED NOT TO QUESTION THE PORTUGUESE RIGHT TO AND PROCESS
OF DECISION-MAKING.
9. THE PORTUGUESE ARE EVIDENTLY VERY PLEASED WITH THEMSELVES AND FEEL THAT THEIR WILLINGNESS TO GET BACK TO DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE CHINESE HAS BORNE FRUIT. AS CATARINO EXPLAINED IT, THE MOMENT HAD BEEN A PROPITIOUS ONE FOR GETTING MATTERS BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK
'NOT THROUGH BEING TOUGH, BUT THROUGH BEING FIRM AND DIGNIFIED.'
DRACE-FRANCIS
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CONFIDENTIAL
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