TNAG-2191-FCO40-3128-Hong-Kong-nationality-package-1990 — Page 27

COPIES TO:

MR PAUL

MIDO MARSDEN

MR MORRIS

MR STONE

MIDO HANCOCK

CONFIDENTIAL

From:

Date:

PS/Mr Maude

5 March 1990

140

CC:

нко 3404

PS

Mr McLaren

Special Advisers

Mr Whitehead, News Dept

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Mr

Paul, HKD

PA

Action Taken

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3

HONG KONG

1. You and Mr McLaren attended Mr Maude's regular weekly meeting on Hong Kong this afternoon. The following points emerged:

i) Mr Maude would be grateful to see the ideas you are working up on concessions that might be built into the MR MORRIS Nationality Bill eg the possibility of those granted

IN HAND

DONE

citizenship giving a "moral commitment", before the OD(K) meeting (now postponed from 6 March). Mr Maude was not attracted by the idea of holding back passports.

ii) We should let Hong Kong know that we do not consider there is any inevitability about increasing LEGCO's size in 1991; we would be sympathetic if they wanted to keep it at 56. Mr Maude was happy with your draft telegram, which has issued.

iii) Mr Maude agreed that there was some merit in waiting to make any announcement on international support until one or two other EC countries were clearly on board. The Department's initial advice was that involving South Africa in our lobbying exercise would be counterproductive, but Mr Maude wanted to look further at this.

iv) We should consult the Governor by telegram about the possibility of a joint press conference between him and Mr Maude on 9 March.

v) Mr Maude agreed that, in response to the latest comments from China about our nationality package, we should brief the press along the lines suggested by Hong Kong.

CONFIDENTIAL