TNAG-2227-FCO40-3199-Political-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Commonwealth-count-1991 — Page 85

CONFIDENTIAL

He told Mr Hawke that both Lord Chancellor called on Mr Hawke.

'two sides might be under a misconception in referring to the

The Constitution Act was really a text, a originals' of the Act.

Once the Act was approved by set of words adopted by Parliament.

Two copies The Queen no one copy of it was better than any other. had been allocated to specific purposes, one to the Parliamentary Other copies were archives and one to the Public Records Office. made as part of the publication by the Queen's Printer and all were

Some had been sent to Australia in 1901 when equally authoritative. the Act had been passed. Australia already had one of the originals of the separate document of royal assent with Queen Victoria's signature upon it. The Lord Chancellor's Department have made a search of the records and are preparing arguments which we hope will convince the Australians that the copies of the Constitution Act which they should already hold do not differ substantially from either of the two copies held in the UK.

75th ANNIVERSARY OF GALLIPOLI

8. The Prime Minister has agreed in principle to attend the 75th Anniversary of the Gallipoli landings on 25 April 1990 in Turkey.

Mr Hawke plans The Australians have not yet been informed of this.

to attend.

ANTARCTICA

9.

Since Mr Hawke's visit in June the Antarctic Minerals Bill has received the Royal Assent. We expect to ratify the minerals convention by the end of the year following action by Dependent Territory Governments. Attention is now focusing on the Antarctic

Following the Treaty Consultative Meeting in Paris (9-19 October). Hawke/Rocard meeting in August, the Australians and French have circulated papers proposing a Special Meeting in 1990 to negotiate a free-standing Convention for the Protection of the Antarctic Environment which would designate Antarctica as a "Wilderness Reserve" in which all Antarctic mineral activity would be banned. These papers have been presented to us at a high level by the French Ambassador and by Sir Ninian Stephen, the former Governor-General and now Mr Hawke's Special Ambassador on the Environment.

CONFIDENTIAL