UNCLASSIFIED
134752
MDHIAN 703
BASIS OF THE JD. WEN WEI PO IN ITS LEADER WARNED THAT RECENT
EVENTS WOULD START ANOTHER ROUND OF MEGAPHONE DIPLOMACY WHICH WAS
NOT CONDUCIVE TO HK'S STABILITY. TA KUNG PAO CRITICISED THAT THE
BRITISH SIDE WERE BENT ON CREATING A THREE-LEGGED STOOL.
5. QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES, THE UNITED DAILY NOTED THAT THE STRATEGY TO SEPARATE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES WAS CONTAINED
IN A REPORT APPROVED BY CHINESE LEADERS JIANG ZEMIN AND ZHU
RONGJI. THE PRINCIPLE WAS TO FACILITATE ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN HK'S STABILITY AND TO GAIN SUPPORT OF THE HK
PEOPLE. THE SOURCES ADDED THAT TECHNICAL DETAILS CONCERNING
FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT THE FIFTH ROUND OF TALKS. THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD
PRESS THE BRITISH SIDE TO RESTRAIN HKG AND LEGCO. IT WAS WARNED THAT IF THE BRITISH SIDE FAILED TO GIVE SUCH A COMMITMENT, THE FIFTH ROUND OF TALKS MIGHT HIT SNAGS.
MR GOODLAD
6. A PROMINENT COMMENTARY IN WEN WEI PO CRITICISED MR GOODLAD'S
EARLIER STATEMENT THAT ANY EVENTUAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO
SIDES SHOULD BE RECORDED AS A MOU RATHER THAN AN AGREEMENT
BREACHED THE RULE OF CONFIDENTIALITY OF DIPLOMATIC DISCUSSIONS.
REFERRING TO THE BRITISH SIDE'S POSITION THAT THE SEVEN SETS OF
DIPLOMATIC LETTERS PREVIOUSLY EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES DID NOT CONSTITUTE QUOTE AN AGREEMENT UNQUOTE, THE BRITISH SIDE AGAIN PLAYED TRICKS ON THE CONCEPTS OF A MOU AND AN AGREEMENT. HIS
REMARKS THAT LEGCO COULD AMEND ANY UNDERSTANDING REACHED BETWEEN THE TWO GOVERNMENTS WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND WOULD POSE OBSTACLES TO
THE CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS.
AIRPORT
7.
THE SUNDAY PAPERS QUOTED ZHANG JUNSHENG AS SAYING THAT ALTHOUGH THE BRITISH SIDE HAD TABLED A NEW FINANCIAL PROPOSAL, THE BALL WAS STILL IN THE BRITISH COURT. THE IMPORTANT THING WAS
TO ABIDE BY THE AIRPORT MOU.
8. MING PAO QUOTED HKG SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE BRITISH SIDE
HAD INFORMED THE CHINESE SIDE AT LAST WEEK'S AC MEETING THAT IF A
DECISION COULD NOT BE MADE ON THE AIRPORT RAILWAY, PHASE I OF THE CENTRAL/WAN CHAI RECLAMATION PROJECT, THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING AND THE AVIATION MONITORING EQUIPMENT, THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT COULD NOT BE COMPLETED BY 1997.
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UNCLASSIFIED