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(b) involvement in negotiations by HMG would have run a higher risk of provoking our VAA partners to raise more generally the need to re-negotiate our VAA's to take account of the 1981 Act;
(c) since 1981, Dependent Territories continued to be granted visa-free access by some of our VAA partners. Elsewhere Bermuda' and Hong Kong, particularly the latter, had in the meantime succeeded in negotiating other visa free arrangements bilaterally. Some or all of these might have been placed in jeopardy;
(d) in the case of Hong Kong there was a particular risk that any loss of visa-free access resulting from any initiative by HMG in this field might have further undermined confidence within the Colony in the run-up to 1997.
A
2 5.
I understand that HKD have now indicated to WIAD in response to Mr January's draft that they no longer object, on the grounds of the last sub-paragraph above, to HMG lobbying its EC partners on behalf of Bermuda. Hong Kong will itself shortly begin direct negotiations with a number of countries for visa arrangements after 1997, and HKD itself will be recommending diplomatic support for that effort by our missions overseas.
6.
The risk that other Dependent Territories may have their visa-free access to certain VAA partner countries placed in jeopardy, and the risk that HMG may be seen to be discriminating in favour of Bermuda alone on an issue over which they should logically be acting on behalf of all Dependent Territories, seem to me to be primarily points for WIAD rather than for MVD, and I understand that WIAD are willing to run these risks.
7. That leaves the risk that a chain reaction may be set off requiring the UK to negotiate formal revisions to its VAA's. That would be a nuisance, but I am not sure that, in isolation, it constitutes a good reason for declining to support Bermuda (and, soon, Hong Kong). Legal Advisers have already advised that we should take the opportunity to amend the Argentine VAA when it is re-instated. As and when other states press for similar tidying up, we should presumably be willing to respond. In practice this seems likely to happen piecemeal, rather than in a rush of requests.
8.
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Subject to some of the drafting points that I have indicated in manuscript, I conclude that MVD no longer has any reason to oppose the recommendation. I have consulted Home
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Who said this?
NOT what I unders stood as the outcome
of our meeting.
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