UNCLASSIFIED
7704
MDLIAN 4511
OMELCO DELEGATION TO LONDON
4. THE MEDIA REPORTED TO A VISIT TO LONDON BY DAME LYDIA DUNN AND ALLEN LEE TO LOBBY FOR UK SUPPORT FOR THE OMELCO CONSENSUS. THEIR MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER, DAME LYDIA SAID THAT THEY HAD REFLECTED TO THE PRIME MINISTER HK PEOPLE'S WISH FOR A FASTER PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION IN THE TERRITORY. SHE SAID THAT THE FAILURE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO GRANT NATIONALITY TO ALL BRITISH SUBJECTS IN HK MEANT THAT IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO INTRODUCE DEMOCRACY IN THE TERRITORY. SHE SAID THAT THE PRIME MINISTER HAD INDICATED TO THEM THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT POLITICAL REFORMS IN THE TERRITORY AND THAT A FINAL DECISION ON THE ISSUE HAD NOT YET BEEN REACHED. DAME LYDIA SAID THAT THEY HAD A MEETING WITH MORE THAN 50 MPS FROM THE ANGLO-HK PARLIAMENTARY GROUP, WHO EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR THE OMELCO CONSENSUS. MR LEE SAID THAT HE HAD MET GERALD KAUFMAN, WHO SAID THAT HE SUPPORTED A FASTER PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION IN THE TERRITORY.
NATIONALITY PACKAGE
5. DETAILS OF THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE WOULD BE ANNOUNCED IN MARCH AND THE FIRST BATCH OF PASSPORTS UNDER THE SCHEME WOULD BE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THE MEDIA (24.1) REPORTED, QUOTING THE DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION. SING PAO AND THE HK TIMES REPORTED THAT AS THERE HAD BEEN REPORTS THAT SOME 20,000 CIVIL SERVANTS WOULD BE GIVEN THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK UNDER THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE FOR 50,000 HK HOUSEHOLDS, A NUMBER OF CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS WERE OF THE VIEW THAT THE PACKAGE SHOULD BENEFIT MORE CIVIL SERVANTS. A FEW CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS EVEN HELD THAT ALL CIVIL SERVANTS SHOULD BE GRANTED THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK BECAUSE EMPLOYEES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR COULD EMIGRATE THROUGH ARRANGEMENTS OF THEIR EMPLOYERS.
6. THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, DURING MEETINGS WITH PRESIDENT BUSH AND SECRETARY OF STATE JAMES BAKER, URGED THE US GOVERNMENT TO GRANT THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE US TO HK EMPLOYEES OF US FIRMS IN HOPES OF BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN THE TERRITORY BEFORE ITS REVERSION TO CHINA IN 1997, THE MEDIA REPORTED. THE REPORTS NOTED THAT BOTH MR BUSH AND MR BAKER MADE NO COMMENT ON THE CALL. MR HURD SAID THAT HE WOULD RAISE THE ISSUE AGAIN WHEN HE MET US CONGRESSMEN.
BILL OF RIGHTS
7. THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BAR ASSOCIATION, ANTHONY ROGERS, SAID THAT UNLESS THE BILL OF RIGHTS WAS SAFEGUARDED BY ENTRENCHMENT AND MADE SUPREME OVER OTHER LOCAL LAWS, IT WOULD NOT BE EFFECTIVE IN SAFEGUARDING HUMAN RIGHTS, THE MEDIA (25.1) REPORTED. HE SAID THAT