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165106
MDHIAN 5265
9. LEFT-WING COMMENTRARIES PAINTED A DIM PICTURE ON PROGRESS ACHIEVED SO FAR. THEY ALSO CLAIMED THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WAS DELIBERATELY MISLEADING HONG KONG PEOPLE OVER PROGRESS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS. BOTH TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PO PICKED ON SIR MCLAREN'S REMARKS ON 'POSITIVE MOVES', SAYING THAT IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO SHIFT THE BLAME ONTO THE CHINESE SHOULD THE TALK 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.
10.
A COMMENTARY IN WEN WEI PO HIT OUT AT FCO LOCAL SPOKESMAN'S EARLIER REMARKS THAT THE SEVEN SETS OF DIPLOMATIC LETTERS DID NOT CONSTITUTE ANY BINDING AGREEMENT. THE COMMENTARY CRITICISED IT AS AN ATTEMPT TO PUT PRESSURE ON CHINA AND TO INSIST ON THE GOVERNOR'S
PACKAGE.
11. ON SETTING DEADLINES FOR THE TALKS, WAH KIT YAT PO COMMENTED THAT IT WAS NOT UNREASONABLE TO DO SO, NOTHING THAT DENG XIAOPING HAD ALSO SET A DEADLINE FOR THE 1984 SINO-BRITISH NEGOTIATIONS TO BEAR FRUIT. THE PAPER BELIEVED THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD NOT MAKE CONCESSIONS AND HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD GET PSYCHOLOGICALLY PREPARED FOR A BREAKDOWN OF THE TALKS.
JLG.
12. THE PAPERS REPORTED IN GOOD COVERAGE ANNOUNCEMENT OF DATES FOR JLG XXVI. QUOTING SOURCES, MANY PAPERS REPORTED THAT CT9 AND MILITARY LAND WOULD BE ON THE AGENDA. MING PAO QUOTED BRITISH OFFICIALS AS SAYING THAT AGREEMENT WAS EXPECTED ONLY ON SOME LESS CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES SUCH AS ASAS. REGARDING DEFENCE LAND, BRITISH SOURCES DID NOT EXPECT ANY BREAKTHROUGH. ON CT9, CHINESE SOURCES SAID THAT IF RAISED BY THE BRITISH SIDE THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD ADOPT A POSITIVE ATTITUDE HAVING REGARD TO HONG KONG'S FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. BRITISH SOURCES WERE QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THEY WOULD BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS CT9. HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL QUOTED SIR CHARLES POWELL AS SAYING IN LONDON THAT HE WAS CONFIDENT THE CT9 PROJECT WOULD ULTIMATELY GAIN CHINESE SUPPORT. HONG KONG COMMERCIAL DAILY NOTED A CHINESE SOURCE AS DECLINING TO COMMENT ON WHETHER THE
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