RESTRICTED
01411
MDHIA
16
COUNTRIES SUCH AS AUSTRALIA AND VENEZUELA WHICH PREVIOUSLY ENJOYED TH
E
SAME FACILITIES AS HONG KONG CITIZENS.
I TOLD CARBAJAL THAT WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES WOULD PROVIDE COLD COMFORT IN HONG KONG. HE REGRETTED ANY PROBLEMS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THIS VISA REGIME WOULD CAUSE, PARTICULARLY AT THIS DELICATE TIME, BUT GAVE NO INDICATIONS THAT THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT WOULD BE PREPARED TO RECONSIDER. HE WAS OPPOSED, IN ANSWER TO MY SPECIFIC QUESTION, TO THE IDEA OF A BILATERAL AGREEMENT WHICH MIGHT E
E
ACCEPTABLE UNDER SCHENGEN. HE SAID THAT HONG KONG'S SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, AND THE LIMITED DURATION ANY SUCH AGREEMENT WOULD HAVE, RULED OUT THE PROSPECT OF NEGOTIATING ONE.
I WENT ON TO POINT OUT THE ANOMALIES AND INCONSISTENCIES IN THE NEW SCHENGEN REGIME AS SPAIN PROPOSED TO IMPLEMENT IT. WHAT WAS TO STOP
A
BDTC, OR BNO, FROM HONG KONG WHO WISHED TO TRAVEL TO SPAIN TRAVELLIN FIRST TO BENELUX WHERE HE COULD PICK UP A VISA AT THE POINT
OF ARRIVAL AND THEN TRANSITTING ON TO SPAIN WHERE HE WOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO SHOW ANY DOCUMENTATION ON ENTRY ? CARBAJAL CONFIRMED TH
T
THE ANSWER WAS NOTHING''. HE ADDED HOWEVER, THAT INCONSISTENCIES W
RE
GOING TO BE INEVITABLE IN THE EARLY DAYS OF SCHENGEN.
HE DID NOT IN
ANY CASE EXPECT ITALY, GREECE OR PORTUGAL TO BE READY BY 1 DECEMBER 1993 BUT HE THOUGHT THE REMAINING SIX WOULD GO AHEAD ON TIME (FRENCH RESERVATIONS NOTWITHSTANDING).
COMMENT
UNHELPFUL AND INFLEXIBLE AND, I FEAR, TYPICALLY CARBAJAL.
AS
A RESULT OF HIS TIME IN LONDON (PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT HAVE THE DETAILS HE IS UNLIKELY TO DO US ANY SPECIAL FAVOURS.
WE HAVE AT LEAST ACHIEVED SOME CLARIFICATION AND IT WILL OF COURSE E OPEN TO TRAVELLERS FROM HONG KONG TO ENTER THE SCHENGEN AREA BY AN
THE UNPROBLEMATICAL GATEWAY, E.G. BENELUX, AND TRAVEL ON TO SPAIN. SPANISH DATE OF 1 OCTOBER FOR INTRODUCING THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS IS ARBITRARY BUT CHOSEN TO PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY IN THE RUN UP TO 1 DECEMBER.
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