SECRET
96
152336 MDHOAN 4174
HKA
063/1
SECRET
FM FCO
14 JUN 1993
TO DESKBY 14050OZ HONG KONG
TELNO 575
OF 111407Z JUNE 93
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
TOP COPY Q DIST?
ايم
PERSONAL FOR PS/GH FROM RICKETTS, HKD
(92
YOUR TELNO 950:
WITHDRAWAL OF THE GARRISON
1. We have discussed your TUR with the MOD. ALL concerned here accept that the Governor will need to discuss these proposals with ExCo before final decisions are taken. But we have identified a number of practical drawbacks to holding up circulation of the OPD (K) memorandum (which the Secretary of State as well as the Defence Secretary has now approved) until 23
June:
(i) Under Cabinet Office rules, if a paper is for clearance out of Committee, two weeks should be allowed for comments from colleagues. This means that if the paper was not circulated until after the ExCo meeting we would not be able to confirm agreement until 6 July (or possibly 1 July, if all colleagues were in a position to agree at the OPD (K) meeting that day). (ii) Given that we shall then need to leave a period (yet to be defined) after informing the Chinese, the announcement to Parliament is likely to be pushed right up against the summer recess. MOD would much prefer to avoid that.
(iii) If there is a discussion in ExCo before the paper is circulated, there would be a risk that the proposal would leak (despite your best efforts) before the paper had reached the Prime Minister.
2. Subject to the Governor's views, we believe that the circle can be squared on the following lines: we would circulate the paper early next week with a new final paragraph making clear that the Governor would be discussing the matter with ExCo on 22 June, and seeking agreement from colleagues by 25 June (ie squeezing the two-week rule a little). The Governor could on that basis tell ExCo that their views were being sought before final decisions were taken. We very much hope that discussion in
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