TNAG-2240-FCO40-3219-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Royal-Navy-presence-1991 — Page 64

CONFIDENTIAL

approach to Finance Committee (ie the unofficial members of LegCo). The platform of Mr Martin Lee's United Democrats of Hong Kong, specifically argued that Hong Kong should pay

less towards the costs of the Garrison.

7. We need to try to pre-empt the possibility of the FCO being asked to shoulder part of the costs. This is a problem we also face with the other out of area responsibilities with which we are in discussion with the

-

essentail

t counter

a

Genuine threar

MOD HMS Endurance, the West Indies Guardship, and the Belize Garrison. It is therefore important to maintain the line that there is a genuine military need for the vessels at that For the moment, we are having a measure of success by taking these subjects separately. But at the end of the day, we-

may need to prioritize, but it we because

we

can argue for each on

for each on it'w militay

ments. There

There may howev

tom The more we base our

не

aynment's

the

MAAR

that

be forced to

an

political grounds,

greater the risk

what will eventually

PF Ricketts

privitive.

on

this

ら

the

Mason

to

concen

and that political

spin off is secondary

TICACP/3

CONFIDENTIAL

Too much.