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126156 MDLIAN 076
5.
WHEN ASKED (BY UK) ABOUT HOW SOARES COULD HAVE ACCEPTED AN INVITATION TO VISIT PEKING IN BREACH OF THE EC EMBARGO ON HEADS OF STATE CONTACTS, MFA OFFICIALS SAID THAT THE EU'S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA WAS CONSTANTLY UNDER REVIEW AND THE BAN ON HEADS' OF STATE VISITS MIGHT BE LIFTED DURING 1994 BEFORE SOARES' VISIT HAPPENED. OFFICIALS ALSO SAID THAT THE DECLARATION ON DEPENDENT TERRITORIES ATTACHED TO THE MAASTRICHT TREATY GAVE MEMBER STATES THE RIGHT TO PURSUE FOREIGN POLICIES INDEPENDENT OF THE UNION IN RELATION TO THEIR DEPENDENT TERRITORIES. MACAU WAS JUST SUCH A CASE FOR PORTUGAL AND SOARES' PROPOSED VISIT TO PEKING SHOULD BE SEEN IN THIS CONTEXT.
WALL
YYYY
MAIN
48
FED
HKD
ECD (E)
NEWS D
UND
NNNN
DISTRIBUTION
48
LEGAL ADVISERS
SED
SIR J COLES
MR HUM
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