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FIRSTLY, THE CHINESE HAD ALLEGEDLY HANDED OVER AN OPINION PAPER TO THE PORTUGUESE AND TIME WAS REQUIRED TO STUDY HT.
SECONDLY #T WAS SPECULATED THAT THE PORTUGUESE HAD INSISTED THAT THE
TALKS BE HELD
IN PEKING AND LISBON ALTERNATELY WHILE CHINA HAD #NSHSTED THEY
BE HELD ONLY IN PEKING. IN ORDER THAT THE DFGMPTY OF PORTUGAL BE
PROTECTED, ZHOU NAN DAN HIS CAPACITY AS CHINESE VICE FOREIGN MEMESTER WAS WILLING TO VISIT PORTUGAL. IT WAS POSSIBLE THEREFORE THAT A VISHT BY THE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER WOULD TAKE PLACE IN THE INTERVENING TWO MONTHS.
THIRDLY, THE DELAY COULD BE DUE PURELY TO
'HUMAN' FACTORS.
JULY AND AUGUST WERE HOT MONTHS AND THE PORTUGUESE WERE ACCUSTOMED TO LONG SUMMER VACATIONS.
AGENCY REPORTS FROM PEKING SAID THE AGREEMENT COULD NOT (NOT) BE REACHED BY THE END OF THE YEAR #F THE TALKS PROCEEDED AT THE
PRESENT RATE.
REACTIONS
THE JOINT COMMUNIQUE WAS WELL RECEIVED BY PROMINENT FIGURES **N MACAU. PRESIDENT OF THE MACAU CHINESE GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, MA MANKEN, SAID IN THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL THAT HE WAS SATISFIED WITH THE FIRST ROUND OF TALKS AND HOPED THE SECOND ROUND
WOULD ACHIEVE EVEN MORE SATISFACTORY RESULTS. HE SAID HE HAD LEARNT FROM CHINESE OFFICIALS IN PEKING THAT PORTUGAL HOPED TO RETURN MACAU TO CHINA MN 2003.
ALEXANDRE HO, MEMBER OF THE MACAU LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, SAID HE THOUGHT THE MATTERS OF SUBSTANCE MENTIONED IN THE JOINT COMMUNIQUE REFERRED TO NATIONALITY, LAW AND THE CIVIL SERVICE. HE ADDED THAT IN MACAU #T WAS GENERALLY FELT THE PORTUGUESE SIDE APPEARED NOT (NOT) TO HAVE PREPARED SUFFICIENTLY FOR THE TALKS AND THIS COULD BE A REASON FOR THE DELAY OF TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND.
/ COMMENTARIES
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