CONFIDENTIAL
017
MDHIAN 9247
HONG KONG TO ARRANGE THIS. MEANWHILE HE SAID THAT THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF WE WOULD FORWARD TO THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SUCH EVIDENCE AND MATERIAL IN OUR POSSESSION WHICH COULD HELP THEM IN THEIR INVESTIGATIONS.
5. I SAID THAT I WAS WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS AS REGARDS THE POSSIBILITY THAT RAMIREZ CALLES MIGHT BE BROUGHT BACK TO CARACAS AS TAYLHARDAT PROPOSED BUT THAT, SPEAKING PERSONALLY, I THOUGHT IT UNLIKELY THAT, HAVING GATHERED SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE AGAINST RAMIREZ TO JUSTIFY HIS ARREST, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD BE EASILY PERSUADED TO RELEASE HIM FROM THEIR JURISDICTION. I UNDERTOOK, HOWEVER, TO REPORT TAYLHARDAT'S REQUEST TO LONDON AND TO SEEK INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS AND ON HIS REQUEST FOR RELEVANT MATERIAL IN OUR POSSESSION.
6. AS REGARDS THE PRESS, I WELCOMED THE FACT THAT SO FAR THE NEWS OF RAMIREZ'S ARREST APPEARED NOT TO HAVE LEAKED. TAYLHARDAT ALSO WELCOMED THIS AND WE AGREED THAT IT WAS IN THE INTERESTS OF BOTH SIDES THAT THE MATTER SHOULD REMAIN OUT OF THE PRESS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. I SAID, HOWEVER, THAT ONCE NEWS OF THE ARREST GOT INTO THEIR HANDS WE WOULD HAVE TO CONFIRM IT.
7. TAYLHARDAT THEN HANDED OVER A NOTE VERBALE WHICH COVERED SOME BUT NOT ALL OF THE POINTS HE HAD MADE ORALLY. FOR A TRANSLATION OF THE MAIN ELEMENTS SEE MIFT. IN PARTICULAR THE NOTE DOES NOT (NOT) MENTION THE VENEZUELAN REQUEST THAT RAMIREZ BE PERMITTED TO RETURN TO VENEZUELA.
8. TAYLHARDAT SAID THAT THE VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR IN LONDON HAD AN APPOINTMENT AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE TOMORROW MORNING. HE HAD INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THE SAME POINTS AS HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE TO ME.
FITZHERBERT
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