CONFIDENTIAL
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MDHO
054
INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN THE FINAL VERSION OF THE BASIC LAW AND THE
JOINT DECLARATION. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE DEVOTED SO MUCH TIME AND
EFFORT TO PUTTING OUR VIEWS TO THE CHINESE SIDE. ANY SUCH INCONSISTENCIES WOULD PUT US IN AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT POSITION AND WOULD HAVE A SERIOUS IMPACT ON CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG.
6. I KNOW THAT THE CHINESE DRAFTERS ARE WORKING HARD TO FINALISE THE BASIC LAW IN TIME FOR PROMULGATION IN THE SPRING. I AM SURE THEY WILL ADDRESS ANY OUTSTANDING POINTS OF CONSISTENCY AND OUTSTANDING CONCERNS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE.
7. I REPEAT THAT WE WOULD VERY MUCH WELCOME A MEETING OF LEGAL EXPERTS TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES. TO HELP YOU IN YOUR CONSIDERATION OF SUCH A MEETING, MR FIFOOT HAS WRITTEN TO MR SHAO TIANREN SETTING OUT WHAT SOME OF THESE ISSUES WOULD BE. HIS LETTER ALSO ENCLOSES A PAPER WHICH TACKLES LINGUISTIC MATTERS CONCERNING THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE BASIC LAW. AS YOU WILL SEE, HE ALSO SUGGESTS THAT, QUITE SEPARATE FROM ANY LEGAL EXPERTS MEETING, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR ONE OF HIS COLLEAGUES TO DISCUSS THESE PURELY LINGUISTIC POINTS WITH ONE OF MR SHAO'S COLLEAGUES. I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD ARRANGE FOR THE LETTER TO BE CONVEYED WITH MR SHAO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
HURD
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
LIMITED
HKD
PUSD
NEWS DEPT
RESEARCH
(FE)
ADDITIONAL
55
3
DISTRIBUTION
58
MR GILLMORE
MR MCLAREN
MR MOSS HEAD/FED
MR EDWARDS, LEGAL ADVISERS
MR WHOMERSLEY, LEGAL ADVISERS
MR FIFOOT, HKD
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