TNAG-2465-FCO40-3589-Hong-Kong-Coordinating-Committee-for-Multilateral-Export-Con-1992 — Page 91

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This cake f

ZEL 2575

with

175241

MDTTAN 0244*

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FM WASHINGTON

TO TELELETTER FCO

TELELETTER NFR

OF 140247Z JANUARY 92

18 2

ONE.

AND TO TELELETTER DTI, HONG KONG

FROM: EDMUND HOSKER

TO: HELEN TAYLOR, NPDD, FCO

CC: MR T FURNESS, HKD, FCO

MS A MORRISON, OT2/3, DTI

HONG KONG EXPORT CONTROLS: EXCHANGE OF LETTERS

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PENNINGTON (OFFICE OF COCOM AFFAIRS, STATE) HAS TOLD ME THAT AMBASSADOR WENDT WISHES TO MAKE SOME MINOR CHANGES TO THE TEXT OF THE US REPLY TO THE UK AND HK LETTERS FROM MESSRS CHAU AND BURNS. I EXPRESSED SOME SURPRISE THAT ANY CHANGES SHOULD BE PUT FORWARD AT SUCH A LATE STAGE. APOLOGISING PROFUSELY, PENNINGTON SAID THAT WENDT HAD CLEARED THE TEXT IN DRAFT, BUT HAD HAD SOME MINOR SECOND THOUGHTS WHEN IT WAS PUT IN FRONT OF HIM FOR SIGNATURE.

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PENNINGTON THEN WENT OVER THE PROPOSED CHANGES WITH ME (SEE TEXT IN PARAGRAPH 3 BELOW). I SAID THAT THEY SEEMED INNOCUOUS TO ME BUT THAT, SINCE I HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN PLENIPOTENTIARY POWERS TO AGREE CHANGES, I NEEDED TO CLEAR THEM WITH LONDON AND HONG KONG. HE ASSURED ME THAT WENDT WOULD HOLD BACK FROM SIGNING UNTIL WE HAD INDICATED WHETHER OR NOT WE WERE CONTENT. HE ADDED THAT WENDT NOW PROPOSED TO SEND SEPARATE, IDENTICAL REPLIES TO MESSRS CHAU AND BURNS, INSTEAD OF REPLYING ONLY TO MR CHAU.

3.

FOLLOWING ARE WENDTS PROPOSED AMENDMENTS:

PARA 1: ... THE US GOVERNMENT FINDS THAT THE PRESENT HONG KONG EXPORT CONTROL SYSTEM IS SUFFICIENTLY EFFECTIVE TO WARRANT EXTENDING CERTAIN EXPORT LICENSING BENEFITS TO HONG KONG. THE US GOVERNMENT NOTES THAT THE HK EXPORT CONTROL SYSTEM DEMONSTRATES A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUING COOPERATION ON EXPORT CONTROL MATTERS, AND IMPLEMENTS NUCLEAR, MISSILE AND CBW NON-PROLIFERATION CONTROLS.

PARA 2: UNCHANGED.

PARA 3:

IT DEMONSTRATES CONFIDENCE ON THE PART OF THE US

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