CZC
ND ADD GIS 14
-
рз
FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1993
IR DAVID LI:
MENTIONED CHINA
WILL
MR PATTEN, GOVERNOR, LAST FRIDAY YOU "HAT ONLY A FEW POINTS OF DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN BRITAIN AND REMAIN WHICH YOU BELIEVE COULD AND SHOULD BE RESOLVED QUICKLY. YOU INFORM THIS COUNCIL HOW MANY POINTS OF DISAGREEMENT STILL REMAIN UNRESOLVED AND WHAT ARE THEY?
BY
OF GOVERNOR :
I DON'T WANT TO PUT MYSELF IN THE POSITION EXPLAINING THE VIEW OF THE CHINESE SIDE TO THESE TALKS ABOUT TALKS.
TALK I'VE SET OUT VERY CLEARLY THE BASIS ON WHICH WE WERE PREPARED TO AND I WOULD BE VERY SURPRISED IF THERE WAS ANY MEMBER OF THIS COUNCIL REING WHO REGARDED THE BASIS THAT WE WERE PREPARED TO ACCEPT AS UNREASONABLE. SOME MIGHT THINK THAT WE'D GONE TOO FAR BUT I THINK AND LARGE IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR ANYBODY TO ARGUE THAT ME BEHAVED UNREASONABLY. IT REMAINS THE CASE THAT AFTER ALL THESE WEEKS, I WAS NOT IN A POSITION TODAY TO COME TO THE COUNCIL AND ANNOUNCE DATE FOR THE COMMENCEMENT OF TALKS. 1 WASN'T EVEN ABLE TO COME TO THE COUNCIL AND SAY: EARLY NEXT WEEK - IF WE DEFER GAZETTAL TODAY WE'LL BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE A DATE FOR THE COMMENCEMENT OF TALKS.
HAD
A
BE
THE TEAM I'VE SET OUT WHAT OUR VIEWS ARE ON
ΤΟ THAT SHOULD TAKE PART IN THE TALKS AND IT IS FOR THE CHINESE SIDE EXPLAIN WHY THAT WHICH HAS BEEN ACCEPTABLE FOR EXAMPLE IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP WHICH SOME CHINESE OFFICIALS WERE SUGGESTING SHOULD WHERE WE DISCUSS THESE CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS, IS NOT ACCEPTABLE THE TALKS WHICH WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS. VERY DIFFICULT I THINK FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND AND I SUSPECT IT WILL VERY DIFFICULT FOR MANY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND.
FOR
IT'S
BE
BE
CHEUNG MAN-KWONG (THROUGH INTERPRETER): MR GOVERNOR, THE UDHK IS GAZETTED BUT VERY HAPPY TO LEARN THAT THE ELECTORAL BILLS WILL BE WHEN WILL THE BILLS BE SUBMITTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL? DOES IT MEAN THAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL BE REPRESENTING PEOPLE, BECAUSE IT WILL BE IN A POSITION TO EXAMINE THE BILLS AND WILL ENDORSING THE BILLS SO THAT WE CAN INFLUENCE THE SINO-BRITISH REOPENED BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND EVEN IF TALKS ARE NEGOTIATIONS? AND THE CHINESE SIDE, I THINK THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHOULD NOT BE ONE OF THE LEGS OF A THREE-LEGGED-STOOL AND ACTUALLY IT SHOULD
THAN THAT. AS LONG AS THE AGREEMENT PLAY A MUCH MORE ACTIVE ROLE NOT AGAINST THE JOINT DECLARATION THEN DOES IT MEAN THAT THE THE CHINESE SIDE MUST ACCEPT IT?
GOVERNOR:
I
15
UK AND
ASKED TWO THE TIMING OF THE PRECISE AND PERHAPS THE
THINK THE HONOURABLE MEMBER HAS QUESTIONS WHICH ARE RATHER DIFFERENT. ONE IS ABOUT INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION, THE OTHER IS ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN WILL ALLOW ME TO ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS IN DETAIL.
SOME