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140065 MDHIAN 3918
10. GUO FENGMIN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE TWO SIDES WERE DISCUSSING THE DATE OF THE NEXT AC MEETING, WHICH HE HOPED COULD TAKE PLACE WITHIN THIS MONTH. THE MEETING WOULD DISCUSS THE AA
BILL.
11. SING TAO DAILY REPORTED THAT THE HKG WAS SEEKING CHINESE APPROVAL TO A SPECIAL LAND GRANT OF 1,200 HECTARES FOR THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT. THIS WOULD EXCEED THE 50-HECTARE LIMIT LAID DOWN IN THE JD BY MORE THAN TWENTY TIMES. QUOTING GOVERNMENT SOURCES, THE PAPER REPORTED THAT POTENTIAL BIDDERS FOR THE VARIOUS CONTRACTS AND FRANCHISES RELATED TO THE AIRPORT WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEGALITY OF THE USE OF LAND, THEREFORE AN EARLY DECISION ON THE AND GRANT WOULD BE REQUIRED.
12. IT WAS ALSO REPORTED THAT SPEL DECLINED TO DISCLOSE DETAILS ON THE FORM OF THE PROPOSED LAND GRANT AS THE ISSUE HAD YET TO BE DISCUSSED IN THE LAND COMMISSION. HE HOWEVER ADMITTED THAT GRANTING THE REQUIRED 1,200 HECTARES OF LAND IN STAGES OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WOULD NOT BE SATISFACTORY AS THE 50-HECTARE LIMIT WOULD THEN BE EXCEEDED EVERY YEAR. NOTING THAT THE TWO SIDES HAD YET TO AGREE ON THE FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS, EASON NEVERTHELESS HOPED THAT CONSULTATIONS ON THE LAND GRANT COULD COMMENCE ASAP.
13. SOURCES FROM THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE LAND COMMISSION SAID THAT PENDING AN AGREEMENT ON THE FINANCING PACKAGE, THE PROPOSED LAND GRANT WOULD NOT BE DISCUSSED.
NEW KITCHEN
14.
SING TAO DAILY QUOTED SOURCES AS SAYING THAT CHINA HAD DECIDED TO ANNOUNCE AT THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE END OF THIS MONTH THE FORMATION OF A WORK ORGAN TO SET UP THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. THE CHINESE HAD ALREADY DECIDED ON THE MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANISATION OF THE WORK ORGAN, AND HAD STARTED LAST WEEK TO CANVASS VIEWS OF LOCAL NPC DELEGATES AND HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS. AN UNNAMED NPC DELEGATE SAID THAT THE BODY WOULD BE HEADED BY NPC VICE-CHAIRMAN AND FORMER BLDC MEMBER WANG HANBIN. MEMBERSHIP WOULD BE DRAWN FROM BOTH HK AND CHINA, INCLUDING FORMER BLDC, BLCC MEMBERS, OFFICIALS FROM THE CHINESE MFA, HKMAO STATE COUNCIL AND NCNA.
15. DAB CHAIRMAN TSANG YOK-SING SAID THAT THE SETTING UP OF THE WORK ORGAN WAS NOT RELATED TO THE ON-GOING CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS. THE ORGAN WOULD RESEARCH INTO POST 1997 MATTERS AND WOULD NOT
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