TNAG-2669-FCO40-3866-Hong-Kong-Civil-Service-1993 — Page 249

いく

Classification

SECRET

CUT

TELEGRAM

DESKBY

Chinese will react: they will certainly be deeply suspicious.

2 To inform them of this in the same week as the gazettal of the

BEC commencement notice Con which we are replying separately)

Y

・velcome.)

could lead to another round of accusations about petty tricks. This would be un

We would like to avoid if at all possible dissipating the more We

of State's) positive atmosphere evident during the Foreign Secretary visit

to Peking.

3. We wonder whether the AECS are fully intent on taking early

Legal action. We noted from the the GIS Media Summary of 10 July

that the AECS had said after a meeting with the Secretary for the

Civil Service, that they would refrain from legal action as they

were convinced of HKG's sincerity in reviewing the matter.

Is

there any scope for delaying for a few months the change in

policy? If legal action looks likely, could you perhaps renew

the contract of the officer in the specific case where you are

vulnerable and thus take the heat out of the issue for the time

being? If this is not possible, or if it would not dissuade the

AECS from legal action, would another alternative be to announce

a review of the policy and that contracts expiring during the

course of this review would be renewed? That should put the

issue off until after the electoral talks are over, although we

recognise that it would also make it more difficult to resist

consulting the Chinese and local staff associations.

4.

act now, we agree that you

If you conclude that you have to

should inform NCNA of your intentions in a routine and low-key

way. We imagine that your ExCo paper will bring out clearly the risks of a strong negative Chinese reaction, and the implications this could have for

dealings with the Chinese over other crucial issues.

HURD

Jun

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