RESTRICTED
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 693
OF 111615Z MARCH 88
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
RESTRICTED
HKB
нкв acola,
TOP COPY Q DIST 7
аз
004513
MDHOAN 0726
YOUR TELNO 1032 AND 1033
CONSOLIDATED FUND DEBATE ON HONG KONG
1. THE DEBATE TOOK PLACE IN THE EARLY HOURS OF 11 MARCH AND LASTED 90 MINUTES. FOUR MPS (MAREK, BRAY, RUSSEL JOHNSON AND ROBERTSON) ATTENDED AND SPOKE. MR EGGAR REPLIED FOR THE
GOVERNMENT.
2.
THE DEBATE CONTAINED NO SURPRISES. MAREK QUOTED EXTENSIVELY FROM A VERSION OF THE DRAFT BASIC LAW, WHICH HE HAD OBTAINED IN HONG KONG, FOCUSSING HIS REMARKS ON THE SECTIONS DEALING WITH THE LEGISLATURE AND THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE. HIS MAIN THEME WAS THAT THE
BASIC LAW AS IT WAS NOW EMERGING FELL SHORT OF THE SPIRIT IF NOT
THE LETTER OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. HE WAS ALSO CRITICAL CON
FAMILIAR LINES) OF THE DECISIONS IN THE WHITE PAPER.
WERE GENERALLY ECHOED BY THE THREE OTHER SPEAKERS.
3. ALL FOUR MPS ASSERTED PARLIAMENT'S RIGHT TO DEBATE THE BASIC LAW, PARTICULARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. BUT ALL WERE CAREFUL TO STRESS THAT THEY WERE SPEAKING AS FRIENDS OF CHINA AND THAT THEIR COMMENTS WERE
INTENDED TO BE HELPFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE.
•
·
THESE VIEWS
4.
IN REPLY MR EGGAR SPOKE ON THE AGREED LINES HE SAID THAT
IT WAS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT MPS SHOULD WISH TO RAISE THE QUESTION
OF THE HONG KONG CONSTITUTION AND THE DRAFT BASIC LAW. THE DRAFT
LAW WAS INTENDED TO IMPLEMENT THE POLICIES CONTAINED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, WHICH FORMED A PART OF A SOLEMN AND INTERNATIONALLY BINDING TREATY BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN, AND HAD BEEN DEBATED BY THE HOUSE. IT WAS THEREFORE RIGHT THAT THE HOUSE SHOULD CONSENT
TO GIVE ITS VIEWS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TREATY IN THE
DRAFT. COMMENTING ON THE STATUS OF THE DOCUMENT FROM WHICH MAREK WAS QUOTING, MR EGGAR EMPHASISED THAT THE ONLY AUTHENTIC ONE WOULD BE THE TEXT DUE TO BE PUBLISHED IN LATE APRIL/EARLY MAY.
HE AVOIDED DETAILED COMMENT ON THE TEXT OF THE DRAFT LAW. HE
WELCOMED THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR REPEATED CONSULTATIONS OF HONG
KONG PEOPLE THAT CHINA WAS PROVIDING. MR EGGAR DEFENDED THE
DECISIONS IN THE WHITE PAPER ON STANDARD LINES, EMPHASISING THE GENERALLY POSITIVE REACTION IT HAD RECEIVED IN HONG KONG.
COMMENT
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