CONFIDENTIAL
FM BUDAPEST
TO TELELETTER FCO
TELELETTER NFR
OF 14090OZ SEPTEMBER 90
INFO TELELETTER HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
o cc Mr Pand or 357
Juris Marsday 15722
ма. Надее
2) Mar
Mc Hancock
με
HKD 340/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
17 SEP 1990
MDTTAN 8190
pa
17/9
Int Sup
DEBK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken
FROM : G J DOREY, BUDAPEST
TO
CC
: J C MORRIS ESQ, HONG KONG DEPARTMENT, FO
: R A NOBLE ESQ, EED, FCO
: S BRADLEY ESQ, DEPUTY POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG
HONG KONG HUNGARIAN OFFER OF SETTLEMENT
1 THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELPFUL TELELETTER OF 6 SEPTEMBER.
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2. SINCE I WROTE, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO OTHER RELATED DEVELOPMENTS OF INTEREST. THERE HAVE BEEN PRESS REPORTS THAT A HONG KONG FIRM ''POSSARD INVESTMENTS AND CONSULTANTS,' WAS READY TO LEASE THE INDUSTRIAL ISLAND OF CSEPEL NEAR BUDAPEST FOR 20 YEARS. THEY WERE
SAID TO HAVE OFFERED 700 US DOLLARS PER SQUARE METER FOR A TOTAL
OF 8000 SQUARE KILOMETRES (COMMENT: ABOUT THE SIZE OF A HUNGARIAN COUNTY). THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE QUESTIONED THIS PROPOSITION, WHICH WOULD IMPLY A PURCHASE PRICE OF 5.6 TRILLION US DOLLARS.
(COMMENT: ABOUT TWICE THE GROSS DEBT OF THE WORLD). AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED IN JULY TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE
RESETTLEMENT OF HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN IN HUNGARY HAD ALSO HELD TALKS WITH ''POSSARD'', BUT ACCORDING TO THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE THE NAME OF A BANK OR OTHER REFERENCES.
THE FIRM HAD ALSO REQUESTED HONORARY COUNSULAR STATUS AND THE RIGHT
TO ISSUE HUNGARIAN PASSPORTS.
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3. ON 7 SEPTEMBER, GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN LASZLO BALAZS WAS ALSO OBLI- GED TO DENY A ''TOTALLY GROUNDLESS''ARTICLE IN THE DAILY MAI NAP.
(WHICH THE LATTER ATTRIBUTED TO TAMAS FODOR MP SEE PREVIOUS
CORRESPONDANCE). CONTRARY TO ALLEGATIONS IN THE ARTICLE, THE POSSIBLE SETTLEMENT OF HONG KONG PEOPLE IN HUNGARY HAD NEVER COME UP IN
TALKS BETWEEN PRIME MINISTER JOZSEF ANTALL AND FRG CHANCELLOR
HELMUT KOHL OR OTHER FOREIGN STATESMEN. THE GOVERNMENT WOULD
ISSUE ANOTHER STATEMENT ONCE IT HAD ALL THE NECESSARY INFORMATION
AT ITS DISPOSAL.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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