are on the brink of capitulation. Our principles are clear,
and we will stick to them.
Third, the Governor and I have made plain many times that
there will be no secret deals. How could there be? LegCo has
the responsibility to pass legislation on the 1994 and 1995
elections. Once the talks with China have ended we will
commend draft legislation to LegCo. We would much prefer this
to be on the basis of agreement with China. Either way it will
then be up to you and your colleagues to weigh up all the factors, and to pass the legislation which in your judgement is right in the circumstances. We will respect LegCo's decision.
We fully intend to uphold the Joint Declaration, and to
discharge effectively our responsibility to administer Hong Kong up to 1 July 1997. We are working for success in the
talks with China, because we believe that Sino-British
cooperation to achieve a smooth transition, in this area as in
others, is preferable to confrontation. It is proving an
uphill struggle. An agreement which provided for fair and open
elections, together with a set of acceptable objective criteria
for the through train, would be a considerable prize. It would
provide an important element of continuity, and would, in my view, be widely welcomed in Hong Kong. We will go on striving
to reach such an agreement in the time that remains the
people of Hong Kong would expect no less of us. But we shall
do so on the basis of the principles I have set out. We are
not looking for a deal at any price, and it is quite wrong to
suggest that we are.
I hope that we can all approach these difficult issues
calmly, and together reach conclusions which are in the best
interests of Hong Kong.
Good writer,
Your
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Hund
DOUGLAS HURD
Qony've
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