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MDLIAN 338
POSITION, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD STALL THE PROGRESS OF THE TALKS. HOWEVER THAT SHOULD NOT PRECLUDE DISCUSSIONS ON OTHER ISSUES.
13. LEFT-WING COMMENTARIES (17.6) PAINTED A DIM PICTURE ON PROGRESS ACHIEVED SO FAR. THEY ALSO CLAIMED THE BRITISH SIDE WERE DELIBERATELY MISLEADING HK PEOPLE OVER PROGRESS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS. BOTH TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PO PICKED ON SIR ROBIN MCLAREN'S REMARKS ON 'POSITIVE MOVES', SAYING IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO SHIFT THE BLAME ONTO THE CHINESE SHOULD THE TALKS END UP IN DEADLOCK. WEN WEI PO SAID EDITORIALLY THAT THE GOVERNOR'S PLOT WAS TO CREATE A DEADLOCK BY TABLING PROPOSALS ON THE BASIS OF THE 'THREE VIOLATIONS', AT THE SAME TIME GIVING OUT FALSE NEWS THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD MADE 'POSITIVE MOVES' AT THE TALKS AND THEREFORE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DELAY. THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD EVENTUALLY USE THE EXCUSE THAT TIME WAS RUNNING OUT AND THE QUESTION OF THROUGH TRAIN REMAINED UNRESOLVED TO TABLE THE ELECTORAL BILLS IN LEGCO.
14. THE PAPERS WIDELY REPORTED (18.6) REMARKS MADE BY NCNA VICE DIRECTOR ZHANG JUNSHENG THAT THE ON-GOING TALKS WOULD ONLY BEAR FRUITS IF THE 'THREE CONFORMITIES' WERE ADHERED TO. ANOTHER VICE DIRECTOR ZHU YUCHENG MADE SIMILAR REMARKS.
15. THE PAPERS (19.6) REPORTED IN GOOD COVERAGE THE REMARKS MADE BY THE GOVERNOR THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WERE SINCERE ABOUT THE TALKS AND, WHEN ASKED WHETHER A DEADLINE WOULD BE SET FOR THE TALKS, TIME WAS NOT INFINITE AND HE HOPED THERE WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TIME TO GET A GOOD SETTLEMENT.
16. COMMENTARIES IN WEN WEI PO (19.6) ATTRIBUTED THE SLOW PROGRESS ON THE TALKS TO THE GOVERNOR'S INSISTENCE ON HIS CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE. THE PAPER CRITICISED THE GOVERNOR FOR DEPLOYING DELAYING TACTICS AND ACCUSED THE BRITISH SIDE OF SPREADING RUMOURS THAT SEPTEMBER WAS A DEADLINE FOR THE TALKS. SEPARATELY, THE PAPER REPORTED IN PROMINENT COVERAGE A SEMINAR ORGANISED BY LOCAL CPPCC DELEGATES AND REMARKS MADE BY A NUMBER OF HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS ON RECENT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS. A REPLAY OF CHINESE POSITIONS WAS MADE IN FAMILIAR TERMS: LACK OF SINCERITY ON THE PART OF THE BRITISH SIDE: THE IMPORTANCE OF THE THREE CONFORMITIES' AND THE PETTY TRICKS POSED OBSTACLES TO THE ON-GOING TALKS.
17. ON THE GOVERNOR'S FORTHCOMING TRIP TO LONDON, WAH KIU YAT PO (19.6) QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING CHINA WAS NOT WORRIED ABOUT POSSIBLE CABINET DECISION TO DISCONTINUE THE TALKS,, AS CHINA HAD
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