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TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1234
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105315
MDHIAN 0044
INFO IMMEDIATE MADRID, ROME, LUXEMBOURG, BRUSSELS, THE HAGUE INFO IMMEDIATE ATHENS
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YOUR TELNO 702 : EC VISA REGIMES FOR BDTCS/BN(O)S: AND MADRID'S TELNO 349 SPANISH VISA REGIME FOR HONG KONG BDTCS/BN (0)S
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I AM GRATEFUL BOTH FOR YOUR TUR AND FOR MADRID'S PROMPT ACTION IN RESPONSE TO IT. IT IS CERTAINLY HELPFUL TO LEARN THAT AN ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT IMMINENT, AND THAT HONG KONG IS NOT BEING SINGLED OUT. BUT THIS WILL BARELY ALLAY THE ADVERSE IMPACT WHICH THIS NEW VISA REQUIREMENT WOULD HAVE HERE.
2. GIVEN THE EXPERIENCE WITH SPAIN, I THINK WE SHOULD NOW START LOBBYING BOTH IN LONDON AND IN CAPITALS OF OTHER SCHENGEN COUNTRIES WHICH MAY HAVE THE SAME PLANS. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU COULD FIND OUT WHICH OF THE OTHER SCHENGEN COUNTRIES NOT NOW REQUIRING VISAS FOR BDTCS AND BN (0)S (BENELUX, GREECE AND ITALY) ARE PLANNING TO IMPOSE THEM AND WHEN. WE WILL LOBBY IN PARALLEL IN HONG KONG, REFERRING TO OUR RECORD FOR WELL BEHAVED TRAVELLERS, RETURNABILITY, AND THE LACK OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM HONG KONG TO EUROPE.
3. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES MAY BE AFFECTED. THE SPANISH CONSUL GENERAL HERE SAID THE SCHENGEN GROUP'S REGIME WOULD APPLY VIRTUALLY ACROSS-THE-BOARD TO NON- EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. HE PARTICULARLY REFERRED TO LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT HONG KONG SHOULD NOT BE SEEN TO BE SINGLED OUT, IN TIMING AS WELL AS APPLICATION OF THE VISA REGIME.
4. I HOPE I CAN DISCUSS THIS MATTER WITH YOU ON 29 JULY.
PATTEN
YYYY
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