TNAG-2050-FCO40-2920-Visits-by-Lord-Caithness--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and--1990 — Page 20

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 2379

OF 14163OZ DECEMBER 90

INFO IMMEDIATE SEOUL

CONFIDENTIAL

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HKB 026/34

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2 - JAN 1991

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INDEX

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PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM MARSDEN, HKD

SEOUL: PLEASE PASS TO PS/LORD CAITHNESS

的

(124)

YOUR TELNOS 3703 AND 3704 AND OUR TELNOS 2367: VISIT BY LORD CAITHNESS: PRESS ARRANGEMENTS

1.

SUBJECT TO LORD CAITHNESS' VIEWS, OUR PRELIMINARY COMMENTS ON THE PR SIDE OF THE VISIT ARE AS FOLLOWS:

(A) IN VIEW OF OUR PREVIOUS EXCHANGES ON THIS SUBJECT (FCO TELNO 1978 AND HONG KONG 3117), WE WONDER IF THE OPTION OF ARRANGING A SHORT PRESS CONFERENCE SHOULD BE RULED OUT ALTOGETHER AT THIS STAGE. OBVIOUSLY, MUCH WILL DEPEND ON WHETHER THERE IS A GOOD NEWS STORY TO PUT AROSS. THIS WILL NOT BECOME CLEAR UNTIL NEARER THE TIME.

(B) WE AGREE THAT IF LORD CAITHNESS WISHES TO GIVE A SPEECH FOLLOWED BY QUESTIONS WITH THE MEDIA PRESENT, THIS WOULD PROBABLY REMOVE THE NEED FOR A FORMAL PRESS CONFERENCE. BUT WE NOTE THAT THE VENUE SUGGESTED FOR THE SPEECH IS A LUNCH WITH BRITISH BUSINESSMEN HOSTED BY THE SBTC AT WHICH A LARGE MEDIA PRESENCE MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO ARRANGE. MOREOVER, IF THE SPEECH IS TO BE THE PR CENTREPIECE OF THE PROGRAMME, WE WONDER IF IT SHOULD BE AIMED AT A WIDER HONG KONG AUDIENCE, RATHER THAN JUST AT BRITISH BUSINESSMEN, PARTICULARLY AS MR LILLEY IS LIKELY TO HAVE ADDRESSED A BUSINESS AUDIENCE ONLY A WEEK BEFOREHAND CASSUMING HIS VISIT GOES AHEAD). (C) WE WONDER WHETHER IT WOULD BE BETTER TO ARRANGE THE BRIEFING FOR LOCAL EDITORS SLIGHTLY LATER IN THE PROGRAMME (PERHAPS ON THE SECOND DAY), RATHER THAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER LORD CAITHNESS' ARRIVAL FROM THE PHILLIPINES (WHICH WILL BE OF MUCH LESS INTEREST TO THE LOCAL PRESS THAN MR MAUDE'S VISIT TO CHINA).

(D) WE ASSUME THAT THERE WILL NEED TO BE SOME ENCOUNTER WITH THE LOCAL AND BRITISH PRESS CORPS ON THE LAST DAY OF THE VISIT IN ORDER TO AVOID A LATE NIGHT SESSION AT THE AIRPORT. THE VISITS TO THE HONG KONG STOCK EXCHANGE, THE BORDER AND THE MTR SEEM UNLIKELY TO PROVIDE SUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES.

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CONFIDENTIAL