TNAG-2924-FCO40-4199-Visits-by-Ministers-and-officials-from-third-countries-to-Ho-1993 — Page 39

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TELNO 537

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

OF 281426Z MAY 93

CONFIDENTIAL

HKD 026/10

enfer 2

啉

One week

up response

02 Jun 1993

(it up

in)

68

116752

MDHOAN 3516

6. TOP COPY

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, PRAGUE, SEOUL, SINGAPORE

INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG

OF

T?

FOR POLITICAL ADVISER

(62)

See 67

(67) for reply.

YOUR TELNO 770 PROPOSED VISIT BY CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER TO CHINA, KOREA, HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE, 17-30 JUNE

1. Many thanks for TUR and for arranging the two calls requested for the afternoon of 28 June. We informed the Czech Embassy here, who were most grateful.

2. They have now reverted with what has turned into a rather different proposition. The Foreign Minister is apparently travelling together with his wife and a delegation of 5 other senior Czech officials (the Director General of his Cabinet, the Spokeswoman of the Czech MFA, the Head of the Latin American and Asian Affairs Directorate of the Foreign Ministry and the desk officer responsible for Hong Kong and Southern Asia). They will be accompanied in a special plane by about 10 journalists and 20 businessmen.

3. Mr Vimetal has asked us whether this visit to Hong Kong might be regarded as an official visit, which would raise what he described as the 'delicate' question of who would meet the cost of the 2 nights accommodation in Hong Kong on 27 and 28 June (only for the 6 officials). We replied that this was a rather different proposition from the one we had originally discussed. We said that, in view of its status, Hong Kong did not conduct formal bilateral relations in the standard way, but that we thought nevertheless a useful programme could probably be devised. We would need to think about it and get back to him. We said we could make no commitments on the financial aspects. He took these points and was g nerally appreciative.

4.

Mr Vimetal gave the following indications of what his Foreign Minister would like to talk about:

the appointment in Hong Kong of a Czech Consul-General

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