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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1988
EACH
**THE GROUP HAS SO FAR MET ON EIGHT OCCASIONS, THREE TIMES YEAR SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT, BY ROTATION IN LONDON, PEKINO AND HONG KONG.
"THIS MEANS THAT WITH THE NINTH MEETING HERE IN HONG KONG IN MARCH, WE SHALL HAVE COMPLETED THREE CYCLES OF MEETINGS."
INCREASINGLY, HE SAID, DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WERE CARRIED OUT BETWEEN TEAMS OF EXPERTS FROM BOTH SIDES ON AN AD HOC BASIS, AND AGREEMENTS REACHED BETWEEN EXPERTS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED IN THE PLENARY OF THE JLG.
IN ADDITION TO THESE AD HOC MEETINGS, A STANDING GROUP OF EXPERTS HAD ALSO BEEN FORMED TO DEAL WITH INTERNATIONAL. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS (TRO), WHICH HAD ALREADY DEALT SUCCESSFULLY WITH HONG KONG'S FUTURE PARTICIPATION IN A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC.
"THROUGH THE AGREEMENTS REACHED IN THE [RO SUB-GROUP, WE ARE GRADUALLY BUILDING UP A NETWORK OF INTERNATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS WHICH ARE TO BE PRESERVED AND WHICH WILL ENSURE THAT, AFTER 1997, HONG KONG WILL REMAIN AN INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, DIFFERENT IN MANY RESPECTS FROM THE REST OF CHINA, WITH ITS OWN SEPARATE SYSTEMS AS PART OF THE PROMISED 'HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY ' SAID MR WIGGHAM.
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MEANWHILE, THE JLG ALSO REACHED AGREEMENT ON THE COMPLEX SUBJECT OF TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR TRAVEL AND IDENTITY DOCUMENTATION TO BR USED BEFORE AND AFTER 1997, CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR RELATED TO THE LOCALISATION OF LEGISLATION, A NEW PENSION SCHEME THE CIVIL SERVICE THE PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A HONG KONG SHIPPING REGISTER, AND THE PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES FOR SEPARATED HONG KONG AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS.
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THE JLG HAD ALSO BEGUN TO DISCUSS A NUMBER OF DIFFICULT AND SENSITIVE SUBJECTS SUCH AS DEFENOK AND PUBLIC ORDER.
MR FINALLY, ON THE LAND COMMISSION,
WIGGHAM SAID BOTH SIDES HAD REACHED AGREEMENT ON A WIDE RANGE OP VERY COMPLEX LAND ISSUES, INCLUDING THE ISSUE OF NEW LEASES AND THE EXTENSION OF NEW TERRITORIES LEASES TO THE YEAR 2017, AS WELL AS ON THE SHARING OF PREMIUM INCOME FROM LAND TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT.
THE THONG
KONG