CONFIDENTIAL
242
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 3462
OF 170745Z OCTOBER 89
237
HKB
012/1
от
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
063300
MDLIAN 9035
TOP COPY Q DIST?
YRTELNO 2084: BASIC LAW: UPDATED LINGUISTIC CRITIQUE
WE ARE CONTENT WITH YOUR COMMENTS IN TUR, SAVE FOR THE FOLLOWING:
(A) PARA 2:
OUR EARLIER SUGGESTIONS ON THE PREAMBLE AND ART. 158 REQUIRED THE BL TO DEPART FROM THE ENGLISH TEXT OF JD 5 AND 29, WE DELETED THEM FROM THE UPDATED LINGUISTIC CRITIQUE FOR FEAR OF UNDERMINING OTHER POINTS WHERE WE WERE ARGUING FOR CONSISTENCY WITH JD WORDING (E.G. ON ARTS. 4, 8, 17 ETC.). HOWEVER, THOSE OTHER POINTS CAN BE ADDRESSED ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL MERITS AND WE WOULD BE CONTENT WITH YOUR
SUGGESTIONS.
(B) PARA 3(B):
WE AGREE WITH THE PROPOSAL IN TUR, BUT WE NOTE THAT SINCE OUR AMENDMENT OF THE BL IS ONLY ONE OF TWO OPTIONS FOR DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM, WE HAVE NOT PROPOSED A SUGGESTED TEXT. WE WOULD HAVE TO PREPARE IN DUE COURSE SUCH A TEXT IN CASE THE CHINESE ASKED FOR IT.
(C) PARA 3(C):
THE CORRESPONDING CHANGES ON ITEMS 7 AND 8 WERE INTENDED TO BE CONFINED TO THE EXPRESSION ''GENERAL ELECTION''. WE PROPOSE THAT THIS BE MADE CLEAR BY AMENDING THE REMARKS TO READ:
· ·
ALSO BE MADE TO THE EXPRESSION ''GENERAL ELECTION'' IN ITEM 7,
THIRD PARAGRAPH AND ITEM 8 OF
(D) PARA 3(D):
{ }
WE TOO WOULD PREFER TO RETAIN THE WORDING ON ITS OWN' IN ART. 122, BUT ARE CONCERNED THAT THE WORD ''FORMULATED'' WILL NOT STRICTLY COVER LAWS AND POLICIES THAT ARE ESTABLISHED BEFORE 1997 AND MERELY MAINTAINED AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAR. TO SOLVE THIS WE PROPOSE TO AMEND THE SUGGESTED TEXT TO READ:
W
·
THE REGION SHALL DEAL WITH THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS OWN LAWS AND POLICIES.'' CONSEQUENTLY, THE 1ST SENTENCE IN THE REMARKS
1
PAGE CONFIDENTIAL