TNAG-2811-FCO40-4057-Future-of-Hong-Kong-International-Rights-and-Obligations-(IR-1993 — Page 3

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

HKCC 031/7

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

03 FL 1993

DESK OFFICER INDEX

RECISTR

PA

Action Taret

FM HONG KONG

TELNO 157

TO ROUTINE FCO

OF 03045OZ FEBRUARY 93

INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

131146

MDLIAN 1579

pa 031/7

сс

and

031/8

JLG RESTRICTED

YOUR TELNOS 1737 AND 1746 OF 15 AND 18 DECEMBER 1992, 11, 12 AND 13.

IRO SUB-GROUP: MERCHANT SHIPPING, WARFARE AND DISARMAMENT,

1.

ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TURS. WE HAVE INCORPORATED ALL YOUR COMMENTS INTO THE DISCUSSION PAPERS EXCEPT THAT WE HAVE KEPT ITEMS 13.7-13.7(2) IN THE GENERAL PAPER ON MERCHANT SHIPPING TREATIES.

2. ON ITEM 13.7, WE NOTE THAT THE CONVENTION AND THE 1968 PROTOCOL STILL APPLY TO HONG KONG. WE ALSO NOTE FROM THE UKTS NO.28 (1984) THAT THE 1979 PROTOCOL (ITEM 13.7(2) HAS COME INTO FORCE FROM 14 FEBRUARY 1984. AS WE BELIEVE THAT THE CONVENTION AS AMENDED BY THE 1968 AND 1979 PROTOCOLS WILL NOT BECOME ENTIRELY OBSOLETE EVEN WHEN THE UK LEGISLATION TO WHICH YOU REFER HAS BEEN LOCALISED, WE WOULD PREFER TO RETAIN THEM IN THE DISCUSSION PAPER FOR THE TIME BEING. WE WOULD EXPLAIN IN THE PAPER THAT THE CONVENTION, ALTHOUGH STRICTLY SPEAKING STILL APPLICABLE TO HONG KONG, HAS EFFECTIVELY BEEN SUPERSEDED BY THE 1968 AND 1979 PROTOCOLS.

3. AS REGARDS ITEM 13.13(2), OUR RECORDS (BY FAX TO MARSHALL) INDICATE THAT WE HAVE NOTIFIED THE IMO DIRECTLY OF OUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE AMENDMENT AND INFORMED YOU ACCORDINGLY ON 1 APRIL 1975. WE THEREFORE PREFER TO RETAIN THIS ITEM IN THE PAPER AND SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD CLARIFY THE SITUATION WITH THE IMO IN DUE COURSE.

THE REVISED PAPERS ON 21 MERCHANT SHIPPING TREATIES, 6 WARFARE AND DISARMAMENT TREATIES AND ONE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL TREATY HAVE NOW BEEN HANDED OVER. WE HAVE ALSO PASSED TO THE CHINESE A SHORT NOTE EXPLAINING THAT WE CONSIDER THAT ITEM 22. CAN LAPSE IN 1997 AND THEREFORE SHALL NOT PREPARE A DISCUSSION

1

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