TNAG-1883-FCO40-2674-Visits-by-Lord-Glenarthur--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-1989 — Page 97

1989-01-11 23:53 G.I.S

33 P.10

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1989

LORD GLENARTHUR : IT'S ONE ELEMENT IN IT, YES. THE CONCERN THAT'S EXPRESSED REALLY IS ONE THAT IF PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO ENTER THE UNITED KINGDOM MORE EASILY BECAUSE OF THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, FROM MACAU, THEN IS IT NOT UNFAIR ON THOSE PROM HONG KONG? THE ANSWER IS THAT I DON'T THINK IT IS REASONABLE THAT THAT SHOULD BE THE CASE. THE IMPORTANT PROBLEM AND THE DIFFICULTY, IS WHAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO ABOUT IT, AND THAT IS WHAT HAS GOT то BE LOOKED AT IF YOU TRY TO TAKE THIS SORT OF THING FORWARD, AND IT MAY WELL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. IT DOES AT FACE VALUE SERM UNFAIR. BUT THAT'S THE WORLD WE ARE IN. HAVING SAID THAT WE MUST OBVIOUSLY LOOK TO SEE WHAT.

SERENA CHOI: REGARDING THE

THE BRITISH PASSPORT FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE, THEY MAY NOT ALL GO TO BRITAIN, IF YOU JUST GIVE A PASSPORT, YOU WILL GIVE CONFIDENCE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE. DO YOU THINK THAT PORTUGAL IS MORE FAIR TO MACAU PEOPLE THAN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT?

LORD GLENARTHUR: WELL, THAT MAY BE A POINT OF VIEW, BUT THE FACT IS THAT IT IS DIFFERENCES IN THE PAST WHICH LEAD TO THE SITUATION THAT WE ARE NOW AT. YOU SAY IT IS UNFAIR THAT THAT SHOULD BE THE CASE. WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SITUATION THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED TO ME AND THAT YOU HAVE MADE CLEAR, BUT I DO SEE REAL PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES IN TRYING ΤΟ MEET THE CONCERNS THAT YOU EXPRESSED.

SERENA CHOI: WHAT DIFFICULT SITUATION?

LORD GLENARTHUR: WELL I THINK THAT IF YOU READ ALL THE DEBATES THAT TOOK PLACE IN PARLIAMENT AND THE DISCUSSIONS WHICH HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN A WIDE RANGE OF COUNTRIES ON THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT,

IN 1986, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BE BROUGHT UP TO THE POSITION THEN ON PRECISELY WHAT VIEWS WERE EXPRESSED.

GOING BACK TO YOUR OWN AND THE RESPONSE TO A

YOJANA SHARMA (DAILY TELEGRAPH): COMMENTS ON THE PORTUGUESE NATIONALITY HISTORICAL PROBLEM, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO, ARE YOU THEN SAYING THAT NUMBERS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN HISTORICAL OBLIGATION?

IT?

LORD GLENARTHUR: NO, I....

YOJARA SHARMA: TO HONG KONG PEOPLE, PERHAPS YOU MIGHT CONSIDER

LORD GLENARTHUR: NO, OF COURSE NOT. THAT IS A THOROUGH TWIST OF WHAT I SAID. AND WELL YOU KNOW IT. THE FACT IS THAT NUMBERS MUST BE PART OF CONSIDERATION, THERE ARE HISTORICAL PATTERNS WHICH HAVE EVOLVED BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES, THAT IS ΤΟ SAY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MACAU AND PORTUGAL OVER THE YEARS, WHICH ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE THAT EXIST BETWEEN AND HAVE EVOLVED BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND HONG KONG, THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY CAME INTO BEING AND AS A RESULT THERE HAVE BEEN CERTAIN CHANGES. NOW WHETHER IT IS POSSIBLE ΤΟ MEET THE CONCERNS THAT ARE EXPRESSED, I DON'T KNOW, BUT AS I HAVE THAT IS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING I WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT.

SAID

/JOHN ELLIOT