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MDLIAN 3001
MAJOR ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM) IS OUR INABILITY TO EMPHASISE IN PUBLICITY THAT BDTC AND BN(0) PASSPORTS ENJOY EQUAL STATUS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. EXCO NOTED THIS PROBLEM AND ENDORSED OUR PROPOSAL TO RAISE THE ISSUE AGAIN WITH AUSTRIA AND MAURITIUS.
6. THIRDLY, WE TOLD THE LEGCO SECURITY PANEL THIS WEEK THAT WE ARE PURSUING THIS MATTER AND THEY ENDORSED THIS RENEWED PRESSURE. EMILY LAU IN FACT QUERIED ''WHETHER THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WERE DOING ENOUGH TO HELP US''. WE ASSURED THEM YOU WERE AND WOULD.
7 AS A COURTESY, AND SINCE THEY WERE MENTIONED IN THE LEGCO DEBATE LAST NOVEMBER, WE WROTE TO THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF AUSTRIA AND THE HONORARY CONSUL FOR MAURITIUS HERE ASKING THEM TO RE-EXAMINE THEIR POLICY TOWARDS BN(O)S. THE AUSTRIAN CONSUL GENERAL HAS GIVEN US A PRELIMINARY REPLY REPLY ENCLOSING SOME BACKGROUND ON THE SUBJECT AND EXPLAINING THAT HE HAS APPROACHED VIENNA. HE ASKED US TO MAKE AN APPROACH TO VIENNA THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE CHANNELS.
AUSTRIA
8. ON BALANCE, WE NOW CONSIDER THAT THE DISCUSSION WITH THE AUSTRIANS SHOULD BE REVIVED, EVEN AT THE RISK OF LOSING VISA-FREE ACCESS FOR HONG KONG BDTC PASSPORT-HOLDERS. OBVIOUSLY, WE HOPE THAT AUSTRIA WILL NOT DEPRIVE BDTCS, BUT WE ARE NOW PREPARED TO ACCEPT THAT RISK.
9. IN OUR TELNO 220 OF JANUARY 1991, WE SUGGESTED OFFERING THE AUSTRIANS AN ARRANGEMENT SIMILAR TO THAT WHICH WE HAVE HAD WITH THE BENELUX COUNTRIES FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IS: HMG ACCEPTS HONG KONG BDTC OR HONG KONG BNCO) PASSPORT HOLDERS RETURNED BY AUSTRIA AND THEN RETURNS THEM TO HONG KONG, WHICH WILL REIMBURSE HMG FOR ALL THE EXPENSES INCURRED. THIS SUGGESTION WAS NOT (NOT) PUT FORWARD BECAUSE WE DECIDED NOT (NOT) TO PURSUE THE ISSUE WITH THE AUSTRIANS. HOWEVER, SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS, WE NOW THINK IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO MAKE THIS OFFER TO THE AUSTRIANS IN ORDER TO TRY AND PREVENT THE LOSS OF BDTC PRIVILEGES.
MAURITIUS
10. WE FEEL MORE CONFIDENT IN RAISING THIS ISSUE WITH MAURITIUS, BECAUSE WE THINK THAT THE FAILURE TO GRANT VISA-FREE ACCESS TO BN (0) PASSPORT-HOLDERS MAY BE AN OVERSIGHT. WE HAVE SOME LEVERAGE, GIVEN THE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HONG KONG INVESTMENT THERE. OUR LATEST FIGURES SHOW THAT HONG KONG HAS ABOUT 3.7 MILLION U.S. DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN MAURITIUS AND RANKS THIRD IN
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