TNAG-2829-FCO40-4082-Hong-Kong-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station--Daya-Bay--China-1993 — Page 255

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 927

OF 071004Z JUNE 93

CONFIDENTIAL

HICC 166/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

JUN 1993

DESK OFFICER INDEX

REGISTRATOP COPY

PA Action Taken

QDIST?

INFO UKMIS VIENNA, WASHINGTON, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

рс

(56

136703

MDHIAN 3808

CORRECTED VERSION (PARAS 2 AND 5)

YOUR TELNO 555: GUANGDONG NUCLEAR POWER STATION AT DAYA BAY

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE IN TUR, WHICH ACCORDS WITH OUR OWN FINDINGS. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WE THINK THAT IT MAY NOT BE FRUITFUL FOR US TO REJECT OUT OF HAND A FORMULATION BASED ON

ARTICLE 5(3) OF THE IAEA CONVENTION ON EARLY NOTIFICATION. IT MIGHT INDEED BE COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE FOR US TO DO SO, SINCE THE CONVENTION PROVIDES THE BASIS FOR OUR CURRENT DISCUSSIONS AND THE AGREEMENTS REACHED ON MANY OF THE ISSUES SO FAR.

2.

HOWEVER, ANY FORMULA WHICH GIVES THE CHINESE A FREE HAND TO DESIGNATE INFORMATION AS CONFIDENTIAL WOULD BE HARD TO SELL HERE. GIVEN THE INSTINCTIVELY SECRETIVE APPROACH WHICH THE CHINESE OFTEN ADOPT TOWARDS DISASTERS, THIS WOULD BE SEEN AS A LICENSE FOR COVER UPS. IF WE ARE TO ACCEPT A CONFIDENTIALITY PROVISION, WE NEED TO PIN DOWN, AS TIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE, WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION IT WILL COVER, AND WHY. WE MAY FOR EXAMPLE BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH A PROVISION RESTRICTED TO THE WIDELY UNDERSTOOD CONCEPT OF COMMERCIALLY SENSITIVE INFORMATION.

3.

ON THE OTHER HAND, OUR OVERALL OBJECTIVE IS TO GET THE GUANGDONG SIDE TO GIVE US PROMPTLY AS MUCH INFORMATION AS

POSSIBLE ABOUT ANY INCIDENTS THAT MAY POTENTIALLY THREATEN HONG KONG. IT WE ARE TO BE SUFFICIENTLY PREPARED IN AN EMERGENCY, WE CANNOT DO WITHOUT THIS. WE ALSO WANT TO PROCEED QUICKLY TO THE DISCUSSION OF ON-SITE ISSUES, CURRENTLY BLOCKED ON THE CONFIDENTIALITY ISSUE. TO FREE OURSELVES FROM THIS HOOK, WE ARE PREPARED TO LET THE GUANGDONG SIDE KNOW THAT WE ARE WILLING TO

CONSIDER A CLAUSE IN OUR AGREEMENT BASED ON ARTICLE 5(3) OF THE CONVENTION, PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO SPECIFY CLEARLY AND CONVINCINGLY THE TYPE OF INFORMATION AND THE PRECISE

CIRCUMSTANCES TO BE COVERED BY CONFIDENTIALITY.

4.

WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF PEKING COULD SEEK AN EARLY MEETING AT

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