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037337
MDLIAN 8509
MATTERS BETWEEN TWO SOVEREIGN POWERS. IF NEGOTIATIONS LED TO AN AGREEMENT, BOTH THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS HAD THE OBLIGATION AND RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE IT COULD BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED. ON THE PART OF THE CHINESE THEY WOULD FULLY IMPLEMENT THE AGREEMENT AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD ADOPT THE SAME ATTITUDE. HOW TO ENSURE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT WAS A MATTER FOR THE BRITISH SIDE. MR LU WAS FURTHER QUOTED AS SAYING IF THE BRITISH SIDE DID NOT IMPLEMENT THE AGREEMENT, IT WOULD BECOME A BREACH FOR THE SECOND TIME. THEY HOPED THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN.
8.
REPORTS NOTED (2.3) ZHOU NAN HELD A MEETING WITH THE HONG KONG DELEGATES TO THE NPC AND CPPCC. ZHOU NAN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THE CHINESE HAD 'TWO-HANDED' PREPARATIONS FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS. IF NEGOTIATIONS WENT WELL, OF COURSE IT WOULD BE A GOOD THING. IF NEGOTIATIONS WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL, MR ZHOU CONSIDERED IT WAS NO BIG DEAL AND CHINA WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO ENSURE HONG KONG'S TRANSITION IN 1997. MR ZHOU DID NOT GO INTO DETAILS ON PREPARATIONS IF NEGOTIATIONS WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL. HOWEVER, HE INDICATED THE CHINESE WOULD ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BL, BECAUSE THE BASIS OF THE 'STOVE' HAD BEEN SET DOWN THERE.
9. WAH KIU YAT PO REPORTED (3.3) THE TWO SIDES HAD REACHED THE FINAL STAGE IN DECIDING WHETHER TALKS WOULD REOPEN AND IT WAS EXPECTED AN ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD BE MADE VERY SOON. IT UNDERSTOOD THE TALKS, WHICH WOULD BE HELD IN PEKING, WOULD BE DIFFICULT AND PROBLEMS WOULD NOT BE RESOLVED WITHIN A SHORT TIME. HOWEVER, THE BRITISH SIDE HOPED LEGISLATION FOR THE 1994/95 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE PASSED BY LEGCO WITHIN THE CURRENT SESSION. THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD BE LED BY THE AMBASSADOR TO PEKING, SIR ROBIN MCLAREN, AND HONG KONG OFFICIALS WOULD BE INCLUDED. FOR THE CHINESE SIDE THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WOULD CO-ORDINATE AND OFFICIALS FROM THE HKMAO STATE COUNCIL AND NCNA HONG KONG BRANCH WOULD TAKE PART. IT WAS ANTICIPATED THAT IF PROGRESS WAS SMOOTH DURING HE TALKS IT WOULD BE CONDUCIVE FOR THE FOREIGN SECRETARY TO VISIT CHINA TO EXCHANGE VIEWS WITH THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER. A CHINESE SOURCE TOLD HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES THE OBSTACLE IN THE NEGOTIATIONS LIED WITH THE BRITISH SIDE. THE BRITISH SIDE HAD TO UNDERTAKE TO ABIDE BY THE AGREEMENT REACHED IN THE NEGOTIATIONS AND RETURN TO THE BL. THE SOURCE STRESSED TALKS HAD TO BE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA. LEGCO AS AN ADVISORY BODY UNDER THE BRITISH HKG COULD NOT PARTICIPATE. THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS IN LONDON (3.3) QUOTED SOURCES IN LONDON WHO BELIEVED THE DELAY IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF TALKS WAS IN ORDER TO FIND A
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