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THE BRITISH SIDE FOR TRYING TO PRESSURISE PEKING BY IMPOSING A TIMETABLE FOR AN AGREEMENT. THE OFFICIAL DISMISSED SOME LEGISLATORS' CONCERN THAT CHINA WAS USING STALLING TACTICS TO DELAY ENACTMENT OF THE ELECTORAL BILL. THE REPORT ALSO SAID CHINESE SOURCES MAINTAINED THAT THEY WOULD NOT STALL FOR TIME AND INSISTED THAT IT WAS STILL PREMATURE FOR CHINA TO SAY WHO WOULD CONTINUE SERVING FOR LEGCO AFTER 1997. THE SOURCES ALSO SAID IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THE TALKS TO PROCEED TO SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION ON THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS AS THE TWO SIDES HAD FAILED TO REACH A CONSENSUS ON BASIC PRINCIPLES.
5. QUOTING SOURCES WHO KNEW THE SITUATION, MING PAO ALSO SAID AS BOTH SIDES WERE SATISFIED WITH THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS OF TALKS, THE LAND COMMISSION MIGHT RESUME MEETINGS SHORTLY. THE PAPER UNDERSTOOD THAT MEMBERS OF THE LAND COMMISSION WERE IN CONTACT AND WERE DISCUSSION THE DATES AND AGENDA FOR A MEETING. IT WAS EXPECTED THAT THE LAND COMMISSION MEETING MIGHT BE HELD BEFORE THE THIRD ROUND OF TALKS.
VIEW FROM LEGCO MEMBERS
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6. LEGCO MEMBERS REPRESENTING THE VARIOUS POLITICAL GROUPS GENERALLY WELCOMED THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE THIRD ROUND OF TALKS. VIEWS WERE SPLIT ON WHEN THE ELECTORAL BILL SHOULD BE PUT TO LEGCO. MARTIN LEE (UDHK) EXPRESSED DISSATISFACTION WITH THE ''DELAY IN OUR TABLING OF THE BILL. HE FEARED THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH TIME FOR LEGCO TO SCRUTINISE IT. FRED LI (MEETING POINT) SAID THAT THE PRESENT SECRECY OF THE TALKS HAD PREVENTED HONG KONG PEOPLE FROM KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE WAS DOUBTFUL WHETHER THE BILL COULD BE PASSED BEFORE THE END OF THE CURRENT SESSION. RONALD ARCULLI (LIBERAL PARTY) SAID THERE WAS NO ABSOLUTE NEED IN ENACTING THE LEGISLATION BEFORE THE SESSION ENDED. BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCE, ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994 DB ELECTIONS COULD STILL BE PUT IN PLACE IF THE BILL WAS PASSED BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. TAM YIU-CHUNG (DAB) SAID THAT EVEN IF AN AGREEMENT COULD NOT BE REACHED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES BEFORE JULY IT WOULD NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT THE 1994 ELECTIONS. LEGCO COULD SCRUTINISE THE BILL DURING ITS RECESS.
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7. ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, YEUNG SUM (UDHK) WOULD ASK A LEGCO QUESTION ON 5 MAY ON WHEN HKG WOULD TABLE THE BILL AND WHETHER WE STILL AIMED TO COMPLETE THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS BY END OF THE SESSION. HIS UDHK COLLEAGUE FUNG CHI-WOOD WOULD ASK ON 12 MAY A QUESTION ABOUT TRANSPARENCY OF THE TALKS.
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