}
The ultimate aim of election of all members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage. Annex 2 of the Basic Law allows for that in 2007. The British side proposed that the Chinese authorities make clear that they would support universal suffrage in 2007 if
that was the wish of the SAR.
Arrangements for selecting Chief Executives of the
SAR. The Basic Law lays down that there will be a "Selection Committee" for the first Chief Executive
and an "Election Committee" for future Chief
Executives. The British side proposed that if the two sides reached agreement on the method of forming the Election Committee which would elect ten members of
the Legislative Council in 1995, the Chinese side
would use the same model for the future Selection and
Election Committees for Chief Executives and that these Committees would be selected by open elections.
36.
The Chinese side spent the first three rounds insisting that before discussion could move on to matters of substance, it was necessary for the two sides to reach agreement on a list of principles. They claimed that these reflected
earlier agreements and understandings. In fact, these "principles" would have had the effect of prejudicing the subsequent discussion of substance. As noted in paragraph 27 above, the 1990 Ministerial correspondence did not reach any
agreement on arrangements for the 1994-95 elections. The British side took the view that in order to be productive, the talks should deal with matters of substance.
37.
At the end of the third round, the Chinese side dropped
statememt26.8/BRIEFS/NJH
18