TNAG-2369-FCO40-3442-Future-of-Hong-Kong-international-support-regarding-national-1991 — Page 41

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HKD 34/1

MOV 19

TO PRIORITY PEKING

TELNO 1121

OF 202201Z SEPTEMBER 91

N

Mi

Yes

Do you keep telo like this for 'int-support file?

INFO PRIORITY EC POSTS, UKMIS NEW YORK, HONG KONG

ми

ASIA WORKING GROUP, 18 SEPTEMBER:

SUMMARY

CHINA, TIBET AND HONG KONG

1.

AGREEMENT THAT HUMAN RIGHTS WORKING GROUP SHOULD BE WARNED THAT REFERENCE IN DRAFT RESOLUTION ON TIBET FOR UN SUB-COMMISSION TO QUOTE NATIONAL IDENTITY UNQUOTE COULD IMPLY SUPPORT FOR TIBETAN INDEPENDENCE AND MIGHT OFFEND CHINA. ITALY PROVIDES ACCOUNT OF ANDREOTTI'S VISIT TO PEKING, AND UK DESCRIBES THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG

KONG.

DETAIL

2. THE PRESIDENCY NOTED THAT THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS SUB-COMMISSION

RESOLUTION ON TIBET WAS THE FIRST TIME FOR MANY YEARS THAT TIBET HAD FEATURED ON THE UN AGENDA.

3. UK (BURNS) AGREED ON THE NEED TO REGISTER AN EC VIEW ON

HUMAN RIGHTS IN TIBET. THE PRIME MINISTER HAD SPOKEN ROBUSTLY TO

LI PENG DURING HIS RECENT VISIT. BUT CAUTION WAS NEEDED. THE EC

SHOULD AVOID GETTING DRAWN INTO SUPPORTING LANGUAGE ON TIBET

WHICH WAS AT VARIANCE WITH THE COMMUNITY POSITION ON TIBET'S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA. THERE WAS A DANGER THAT REFERENCE TO

THE NATIONAL IDENTITY AND FREEDOM OF THE TIBETAN PEOPLE WOULD BE CONSTRUED AS SUPPORT FOR TIBETAN CLAIMS TO INDEPENDENCE. 4. FRANCE AND ITALY COMMENTED THAT NO CHINESE - NOT EVEN THE EXILED OPPOSITIONISTS - WAS PREPARED TO COUNTENANCE TIBETAN

INDEPENDENCE. THE PRESIDENCY THEN SUMMED UP AS IN PARA 1. 5. ITALY PROMISED A FULL REPORT IN DUE COURSE ON ANDREOTTI'S

VISIT TO PEKING. AMONG THE MAIN ELEMENTS OF THE VISIT HAD BEEN DISCUSSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, ON WHICH ANDREOTTI HAD COUNTERED CHINESE REFERENCES TO PAST HISTORY BY STRESSING THAT THE HELSINKI PRINCIPLES WERE APPLICABLE NOT ONLY TO EUROPE BUT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. ANDREOTTI PRESSED THE CHINESE ON DISARMAMENT AND RECEIVED THE STOCK REPLY THAT CHINESE POLICY AND INTENTIONS WERE PURELY DEFENSIVE.

6. THE UK REFERRED TO COMMUNITY BRIEFINGS ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT GIVEN ALREADY IN PEKING AND LONDON, OUTLINED

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