شامية
19 August 1993
SECRET
HKB ONEZ
1993
STRY
pas. Rels or Par
рал
Peki (White Paper)
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
new
ри
BY FAX
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken
London SWIA 2AH
Telephone: 071-
Peter Lai Esq
Constitutional Affairs Branch
Hong Kong
дем дава Peter
TALKS ON 1994/95 ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS
1.
Many thanks for your letter of 19 August about work to prepare for the possibility of a breakdown in the talks.
2. The Governor did indeed raise the question of preparing a White Paper during his talks in London on 29 July. I was on leave at the time, but the Governor was accompanied by Martin Dinham. I enclose a copy of John Morris' file note on the discussion. You will see that we were commissioned to start thinking about a White Paper. We here all agree that it will be necessary to report fully to Parliament, either in the event of a successful outcome or a breakdown. A White Paper is probably the most convenient vehicle. I understand that part of the Governor's thinking was that it would be necessary to produce such a White Paper very rapidly after the conclusion of the talks. We are therefore making prudent use of the so-called summer lull to get ahead with drafting the initial sections of such a White Paper, dealing briefly with the history of representative government in Hong Kong, our pre-Basic Law exchanges with China, the issue of continuity and the "through train", a description of the Governor's proposals and of the genesis of the talks, together with a potted version of the first nine rounds.
3. Once we have something on paper, we will clear this with you and Peking. But it can only be very preliminary drafting at present: a good deal will depend on the context in which the White Paper is being published. But we think that an opening section of the kind I have described will be necessary whatever the final chapters say.
Je
ever
PF Ricketts
HONG KONG DEPARTMENT
Peter.
Cc:
Nigel Cox Esq, PEKING
SECRET
(BY FAX)