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015616 MDLIAN 1866
5. ON PROGRESS OF THE TALKS, SING TAO DAILY QUOTED (23.6) SOURCES CLOSE TO CHINESE AUTHORITIES RESPONSIBLE FOR HK AFFAIRS AS SAYING NO CONSENSUS HAD BEEN REACHED AT PREVIOUS ROUND. THE SOURCES SAID WHILE THE BRITISH SIDE HAD BEEN INCLINED TO AGREE WITH THE CHINESE SIDE'S VIEWS ON THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS AND THE ELECTION COMMITTEE IN THE FIRST FOUR ROUNDS, THEY HAD CHANGED THEIR POSITION AT THE FIFTH ROUND. THIS LED TO WIDENING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES AND EXPLAINED REPEATED CHINESE CALLS FOR SINCERITY. INDEED THE ATMOSPHERE HAD DETERIORATED SHARPLY AT ONE POINT AT THE FIFTH ROUND, WHEN THE CHINESE SIDE HAD ASKED THE BRITISH SIDE WHETHER THEY WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH THE
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NEGOTIATIONS.
6.
THE PAPERS GAVE GOOD COVERAGE (25.6) TO THE SIXTH ROUND OF TALKS. SIR ROBIN WAS REPORTED AS SAYING AFTER THE SECOND DAY THAT THE TALKS HAD BEEN CONDUCTED IN A NORMAL MANNER AND THAT SOME SLOW PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE.
7. SEVERAL PAPERS (25.6) QUOTED A REPORT IN FINANCIAL TIMES (24.6) WHICH SAID IF BY EARLY OCTOBER THERE WAS NO AGREEMENT BRITAIN WOULD TERMINATE THE TALKS AND UNILATERALLY IMPLEMENT THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE.
8.
MANY PAPERS (25.6) NOTED AT A REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING, WHEN ASKED ABOUT WEN WEI PO'S DISCLOSURE OF THE CONTENTS OF THE TALKS, A MFA SPOKESWOMEN FAN HINJUAN SAID CHINA HAD BEEN ABIDING BY THE CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT.
SIR
9. THE PAPERS NOTED (26.6) THE CONCLUSION OF THE SIXTH ROUND. ROBIN MCLAREN WAS REPORTED AS SAYING A LITTLE PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE, BUT THERE WAS STILL QUITE SOME WAYS TO GO. WHEN ASKED WHETHER THE BRITISH SIDE HAD DEMANDED UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE IN 2007, SIR ROBIN SAID THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD NOT RAISE MATTERS UNRELATED TO 1994/95 ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS. HE ALSO REFUSED TO COMMENT ON HOW LONG THE TALKS WOULD TAKE, AND PROGRESS OF DISCUSSION OF THE THROUGH TRAIN.
SEPARATELY AN OFFICIAL OF HKMAO STATE COUNCIL, ZHENG WEIRONG WAS REPORTED (26.6) AS SAYING THAT THOSE WHO DEMANDED UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE IN 2007 DID NOT KNOW THE BL, WHICH PROVIDED THE METHOD FOR FORMING THE LEGISLATURE IN 2007 SHOULD BE DETERMINED BY HK PEOPLE. AS FOR BRITISH SIDE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE, SUCH A DEMAND WOULD BE OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE TALKS.
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