SECRET
291 062076
MDHIAN 3366
SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 17090OZ FCO
TELNO 1744
OF 170233Z NOVEMBER 1993
TOP COPY Q DIST?
HKA 233/1
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
Personal for Morris, HKD from Dinham, GH
2881
Your telno 965: HMOCS
Mrl
1.
Thank you for outlining your proposals on the way forward. We are happy with these although the timing for consultations with the HMOCS Association will probably need to be late january. Cartland will be away from Hong Kong on GATT business and leave until 10 January and the Association is unlikely to want to go ahead in his absence.
2. We have informed Cartland, in confidence, that decisions have been taken on all four elements of the proposed package and given him a brief outline of the way forward. We shall inform the Association Committee in confidence before their meeting this week that decisions have been taken by HMG and that Mr. Goodlad will be writing shortly about details of the package on offer. We shall say no more to them at this stage pending issue of the letter from Mr. Goodlad.
3. We have discussed the China angle with UKREP JLG and agree that there is a case for
for letting the chinese know the position in general terms so as to avoid any knee-jerk reaction. We believe that this should be done by UKREP JLG at their routine weekly meeting next week. Their speaking note should recall the earlier discussion with GUO in March 1992 (UKREP JLG Telno 91 of 13 March) and list very briefly what HMG proposes to do, stressing that this is entirely consistent with HMG's obligations to HMOCS worldwide and that the package will be funded entirely by HMG. We are working on a draft speaking note with UKREP JLG and will clear this with you as soon as possible.
4. We also need to keep ExCo informed of developments. We propose to do this by way of an information note next Tuesday 23 November. To help ensure that the Association is put in the picture as soon as possible after ExCo and the Chinese have been informed, it would be very helpful if the letter from Mr Goodlad could be faxed to GH
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