UNCLASSIFIED
157607
MDHIAN 4893
PREPARED TO ACCEPT THE PRINCIPLE OF THE 'THREE CONFORMITIES'.
9. COMMENTARIES IN THE LEFT-WING PRESS FOCUSED ON PROSPECTS OF THE CURRENT ROUND AND THE THEME OF SINCERITY. MORE NOTE-WORTHY COMMENTARIES ARE SUMMARISED BELOW:
SING PAO TODAY QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING THAT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE RESOLVED WITHIN THIS YEAR, WHICH WOULD ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME TO PREPARED FOR THE 1994 ELECTIONS. THE PAPER SAID THE DIPLOMATIC EXCHANGES HAD BECOME A THORNY ISSUE BECAUSE A DEADLINE WAS THEN SET FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE BL. HAVING LEARNT A LESSON FROM THIS, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT GIVE WAY TO THE BRITISH ON SETTING A TIME LIMIT FOR THE TALKS THIS TIME.
SOME PAPERS REPORTED ON A SIGNED COMMENTARY IN THE SATURDAY ISSUE OF THE PEOPLE'S DAILY WHICH CRITICISED THE BRITISH SIDE FOR ALLOWING A THREE LEGGED STOOL TO DEVELOP IN HK AND FOR JUMPING THE GUN BEFORE A DEAL WAS REACHED IN THE CONSTITUIONAL TALKS. THESE WOULD POSE OBSTACLES TO THE ON-GOING NEGOTIATIONS. THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NEVER CONCEDE ON MATTERS OF PRINCIPLE OR ALLOW THE GOVERNOR'S
PACKAGE TO FORM THE BASIS OF THE TALKS.
SECOND STOVE
10. LEGISLATOR ALLEN LEE SAID ON SUNDAY THAT IF THE WORK ORGAN OF THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WERE TO BE SET UP TOO SOON, IT MIGHT UNDERMINE THE EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF THE HKG AND DIVIDE HK PEOPLE. DAB CHAIRMAN TSANG YOK-SHING HOWEVER URGED CHINA TO SET UP A.S.A.P THE WORK ORGAN WHICH WOULD SUPPLEMENT THE WORK OF THE JLG. HE STRESSED THAT IT WOULD NOT BECOME A SECOND CENTRE OF POWER.
11
SING PAO TODAY QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE HAD RECEIVED PROPOSALS FROM THE HKMAO AND WOULD ANNOUNCE WITHIN THIS WEEK THAT IT WOULD START DISCUSSIONS ON THE TERMS OF REFERENCE, MEMBERSHIP, RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE NAME OF THE WORK ORGAN. SIMILAR REPORTS WERE CARRIED IN THE SCMP.
JARDINE
12. SIR POWELL'S MEETINGS WITH JIANG ENZHU, WANG QIREN AND CHEN ZUO'ER WERE NOTED BY MANY PAPERS. MING PAO TODAY QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD REQUESTED JARDINE TO USE ITS INFLUENCE TO MAKE THE BRITISH SIDE COOPERATE WITH THE CHINESE SIDE IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS. SIR POWELL HOWEVER
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