CCPR/C/SR.856 page 10
trends. According to the views gathered by that office, the draft agreement had been widely welcomed and had seemed to represent the best possible solution in the circumstances. Mr. Lallah had just recognized that fact.
It was in that context that, in late 1984, the United Kingdom Government had signed the agreement in question.
in
45. In reply to Mr. Ando's question concerning health care and food supplies in the Falkland Islands, he said that the territory obviously needed links with the South American continent, but, under the current circumstances, such links were not easy to establish, although that was not the territory's fault. Medical services were none the less available to the population; particular, a large, modern and well-equipped hospital had just been opened in Port Stanley. In terms of food, the Falkland Islands were already self-sufficient to a large extent. In the absence of relations with the continent, frequent air and sea links with the United Kingdom supplied their other needs.
46. He believed that he had already replied to Mr. Ndiaye's question concerning the letter sent by the Chinese Government to the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization.
An
47.
Mr. MARTIN (United Kingdom), replying to other questions asked by the members of the Committee, said that the United Kingdom Government had published a Green Paper on developments in representative government in Hong Kong, on which it had endeavoured to collect the population's views. independent survey office had been set up for that purpose and opinion polls had been conducted by a reputable private firm. The questions asked at that time had related to the options analysed in the Green Paper. On the basis of the 130,000 written replies received and of 21 signature campaigns, the conclusion had been reached that Hong Kong's population wanted to move towards direct elections. However, the response had been less clear-cut as to the date of such elections. It had subsequently been decided that, at the time of the elections to the Legislative Council to be held in 1991, 10 members would be directly elected. That direct election represented a major change from the previous system of an appointed legislature.
48.
Mr. FEARN (United Kingdom), replying to Mr. Lallah's questions, said that the authentic text of the agreement on Hong Kong would probably be in Chinese and in English. As yet, however, there were no definite proposals concerning non-Chinese minorities and suggestions by the Committee would be particularly welcome. It was difficult to give an opinion on the possibility of a Chinese veto at the present time because the final form of Hong Kong's constitutional law was not yet known
49.
Mr. WAKO said he had noted that some members of the Legislative Council would be directly elected for the first time in 1991. There would, however, undoubtedly be further elections between 1991 and 1997; was it intended that, after 1991, the majority of the members of the Legislative Council would be directly elected?
50. Mr. WENNERGREN said that the United Kingdom representative had spoken of two options for Gibraltar, excluding independence, and had referred to an eighteenth-century treaty, as well as to the referendum held in the territory in 1967. It should, however, also be recalled that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights had subsequently been opened for signature and