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NOTED SOME SUBTLE CHANGES: MAINLY THERE WAS AN INDICATION OF RESTRAINT: THE STATEMENT STRESSED THE WILLINGNESS TO BEGIN TALKS ON THE BASIS OF THE 'THREE COMPLIANCES' AND WAS NOT AS CONFRONTATIONAL AS BEFORE. MR ZHENG REITERATED ONCE AN AGREEMENT WAS REACHED, IT WOULD BE LIKE THE JD AND COULD NOT BE CHANGED AFTER SIGNING BY BOTH SIDES. IT WOULD NOT MATTER HOW THE BRITISH WOULD IMPLEMENT SUCH AN AGREEMENT, WHICH COULD BE UP TO LEGCO TO LEGISLATE FOR IMPLEMENTATION. THE CHINESE WERE MAKING NO DEMANDS ON THIS. THE ONLY THING THE CHINESE WOULD NOT ALLOW WAS FOR LEGCO TO OVERTURN AND AMEND THE AGREEMENT, IN WHICH THE THREE- LEGGED STOOL SITUATION WOULD ARISE. ZHENG JUNSHENG, VICE DIRECTOR OF NCNA, WELCOMED THE BRITISH SIDE'S WILLINGNESS TO GO BACK TO THE PATH OF NEGOTIATIONS. MR ZHENG REITERATED THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS SHOULD BE BASED ON THE JD, CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL AND PREVIOUS UNDERSTANDINGS/AGREEMENTS. THE CHINESE SIDE SHOULD NEGOTIATE WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND NOT THE BRITISH HKG.
THE BRITISH HKG SHOULD FULLY IMPLEMENT ANY AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES.
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THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL QUOTED (6.3) AUTHORITATIVE HKG SOURCES AS SAYING MAJOR STUMBLING BLOCK WERE WHETHER HK OFFICIALS SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE TALKS AS MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH TEAM AND WHETHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE TALKS SHOULD BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL. WAH KIU YAT PO UNDERSTOOD THE BRITISH TEAM WOULD INCLUDE THREE HK OFFICIALS, THE SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS, MICHAEL SZE AND HIS DEPUTY PETER LAI AND THE POLITICAL ADVISER WILLIAM EHRMAN. THE PAPER UNDERSTOOD THE HKG WOULD BE WILLING TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE NUMBER BUT WOULD NOT ACCEPT IF HKG OFFICIALS COULD ONLY TAKE PART IN THE CAPACITY OF EXPERTS OR CONSULTANTS.
5.
A FEW PAPERS NOTED (6.3) THE GOVERNMENT RELEASED A SUPPLEMENT O THE COMPENDIUM OF PROPOSALS ON ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1994/95. THE SUBMISSION CONTAINED AN ADDITIONAL 28 SUBMISSIONS TO THE 65 IN THE FIRST COMPENDIUM PUBLISHED IN JANUARY. THE INFORMATION CO-ORDINATOR, MIKE HANSON, (8.2) DISMISSED AS GROUNDLESS A REPORT BY THE GUARDIAN THAT THE GOVERNOR HAD THREATENED TO RESIGN IF HIS PROPOSALS WERE ALLOWED TO BE UNDERMINED BY SECRET DEALS WITH CHINA. MR HANSON REITERATED THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE HAD THE SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, LEGCO AND EXCO MEMBERS AND THE HK PEOPLE. A FCO SPOKESMAN REITERATED THE GOVERNOR HAD THE FULL SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
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