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JOINT DECLARATION. IN THAT SITUATION, HE SAW NO REASON WHY AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMMISSION'S COMPOSITION SHOULD BE
DELAYED. HE HOPED THE CHINESE SIDE MIGHT FURTHER CONSIDER
THIS MATTER.
10. WANG UNDERTOOK TO REPORT. SPEAKING PERSONALLY, HE ARGUED
THAT THERE WAS NOT NECESSARILY A LINK BETWEEN THE TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS. THE CHINESE SIDE HAD SOME TIME PREVIOUSLY AGREED TO OUR TEAM FOR THE
COMMISSION. WHAT MOST CONCERNED PEOPLE AT PRESENT WAS THE
JOINT LIAISON GROUP. THE CHINESE SIDE UNDERSTOOD WHY WE WISHED TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE JLG COMPOSITION WHEN
ANNOUNCING THE DATE OF RATIFICATION. BUT THERE
WAS NOT THE SAME NEED TO ANNOUNCE THE COMPOSITION OF THE
LAND COMMISSION THEN. HE ADDED THAT IT WAS PUBLICLY KNOWN
THAT THE TWO SIDES HELD DIFFERING VIEWS ON THE POSITION OF ONE JLG MEMBER. AN EARLY ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN REMOVING SPECULATION ABOUT THIS DIFFERENCE. OUT OF CONSIDERATION FOR THIS, THE CHINESE SIDE HAD AGREED TO OUR SUGGESTION ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE JLG'S
COMPOSITION. HOWEVER, NO SUCH DIFFERENCE OF VIEWS EXISTED IN THE CAST OF THE LAND COMMISSION. SPECULATION WOULD NOT THEREFORE
ARISE IN THE SAME WAY. THE QUESTION OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT COULD BE
SOLVED ONCE THE OUTSTANDING LAND COMMISSION ISSUES HAD BEEN
SETTLED. IF THIS WAS BEFORE RATIFICATION, AS THE CHINESE SIDE GREATLY HOPED IT WOULD BE, THEN AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMMISSION'S COMPOSITION COULD POSSIBLY BE BEFORE RATIFICATION TOOK PLACE.
11 BLUNT POINTED OUT THAT LAND WAS A VERY IMPORTANT MATTER
IN HONG KONG, AS THE CHINESE SIDE RECOGNISED. THERE WOULD INEVIT-
ABLY BE SPECULATION THAT SOME PROBLEM EXISTED OVER THE LAND
COMMISSION IF ITS COMPOSITION WAS NOT ANNOUNCED AT THE SAME TIME
AS THAT OF THE JLG. THIS WOULD BE AN UNWELCOME DEVELOPMENT.
THIS WAS WHY WE CONSIDERED IT NECESSARY
FOR THE TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS TO BE MADE AT THE SAME TIME.
12. GRATEFUL FOR INSTRUCTIONS (IF POSSIBLE) DESKBY 2001OOZ
EVANS
HONG KONG AGREEMENT
LIMITED
HD/HKD
HD/FED
HD/PLANNING STAFF
HD/PUSD
DEP HD/PUSD
RESEARCH DEPT (MR WALKER)
PS
PS/MR LUCE
PS/PUS
SIR W HARDING
MR WILSON
SIR J FREELAND
MR J CROWLEY, PUSD
COPIES TO:(VIA ADR)
MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT
MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS
MR MARTIN, ASST STAFF CABINET
OFFICE MR MALLABY CABINET OFFICE
MR DRC CHRISTOPHER. CABINET OFF. SIR P CRADDOCK, No. 10 DOWNING ST.
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