TNAG-2224-FCO40-3195-Gulf-War-burden-sharing-Hong-Kong-contribution-1991 — Page 68

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HKB 020 / 3.

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031165 MDHIAN 3253

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 11140OZ F C O TELNO 461

OF 11123OZ FEBRUARY 91

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

GULF CRISIS:

1.

BURDEN-SHARING:

HONG KONG CONTRIBUTION

THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSAL TO DONATE HKD230 MILLION (APPROXIMATELY POUNDS STERLING 15 MILLION) WAS PUT TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (I.E. NON-OFFICIAL MEMBERS) ON 8 FEBRUARY. 40 MEMBERS WERE PRESENT. 39 SPOKE IN AN UNUSUALLY LONG AND CONTENTIOUS TWO AND A HALF HOUR DEBATE.

2 =

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

THE MAIN POINTS MADE DURING THE DEBATE WERE AS FOLLOWS:-

ALLEN LEE, AS SENIOR MEMBER, BEGAN BY SUGGESTING AN AMENDMENT TO THE EFFECT THAT THE CONTRIBUTION BE FOR

''LOGISTIC, MEDICAL, HUMANITARIAN AND OTHER SUPPORT FACILITIES''. HE DID SO ON THE GROUNDS THAT MOST HONG

KONG PEOPLE SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF MAKING A CONTRIBUTION BUT WOULD PROBABLY FIND IT EASIER TO DO SO IF SPECIFICALLY FOR THESE PURPOSES:

SELINA CHOW MADE A GOOD PRESENTATION OF THE CASE THAT HONG

KONG SHOULD CONTRIBUTE AS A RESPONSIBLE MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. THIS POINT WAS ECHOED BY MANY INCLUDING, MOST FORCEFULLY, NELLIE FONG AND LEUNG WAI-

TUNG:

MARTIN BARROW, RON ARCULLI AND JAMES TIEN ARGUED THAT A CONTRIBUTION WAS IN HONG KONG'S BEST COMMERCIAL INTERESTS. CHEUNG YAN-LUNG ADDED THAT A DONATION WOULD HELP MAINTAIN

THE TERRITORY'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY AND PAUL CHENG REFERRED TO THE US ATTITUDE TO CHINA'S MFN RENEWAL. MARTIN BARROW ALSO REFERRED TO THE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

THAT HONG KONG NEEDED OVER SUCH ISSUES AS VBPS:

SELINA CHOW, H K CHENG AND JIMMY MCGREGOR ARGUED THAT TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE

A DEMONSTRATION OF HONG KONG'S SINCERITY. MCGREGOR WENT FURTHER TO ARGUE THAT HONG KONG HAD A CONSTITUTIONAL

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