THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1993
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80 FAR AR THE ACCEPTABILITY OF ANY AORERMENT IA CONCERNED, THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, REPRESENTA IN VARIOUS WAYS THE COMMUNITY IN HONG KONG AND THIS COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER ANY AGREEMENT WHICH RMKROES FROM TALKA JUAT AS THIS COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO CONHEDER ANY DISAGREEMENT WHICH RESULTS FROM UNSUCCESSFUL TALKS. I'M SURE THAT THIS COUNCIL IN DEBATING AN AGREEMENT OR A FAILURE TO AGREE WILL REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE COMMUNITY. THE VIEWS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE REFLECTED AGAIN AND AGAIN, WHETHER ACCURATELY OR INACCURATELY QUESB DEPENDS ON WHETHER YOU LIKE THE FINDINGA IN OPINION POLLS. NOTICED AN EXTREMELY INTEREATING OPINION POLL IN BING TAO EARLIER THIS WEEK, ONE OF THE MANY QUESTIONS IN IT WAS THIS ONE "IF AN AGREEMENT 19 REACHED DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS NECESHARY POR LEUCO то DROIDE WHETHER TO ACCEPT THE RESULT OF THE TALKS" YES-70 PER CENT, NO-24 PBR OBNT. I IMAGINE THAT'S A FINDING WHICH MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL WOULD FIND ALL OF THEM REASONABLY AGRERABLE.
I I
MR MAN SAI-CHEUNG:
(THROUGH INTERPRETER) THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND THE UDHK HAVE BEEN AGAINAT SECRET NEGOTIATIONA. MR GOVERNOR, WHAT SPECIFIC MEASURES ARE THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE HONG KONG PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO GET INFORMATION AND WILL BE CONSULTED AND WILL BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE SO THAT THEY WILL KNOW ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF THE TALKS AND THE CONSENSUS AND TUK DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES OR THE TWO GOVERNMENTS?
GOVERNOR:
1 ANSWERED, AT HOME LENGTH, QUESTIONS ON THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF NEGOTIATIONS ON THE MARCH 8 AND I'M NOT SURE THAT IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL OR NECESSARILY INSTRUCTIVE FOR ME TO REPEAT WHAT I SAID ON THAT OCCASION. I'VE RE-READ IT AND HAVE TO BAY THAT 1 FOUND IT AB CONVINCING TO READ AS I HAD TO EXPRESS IN THE FIRST PLACE, I THINK THAT THE COUNCIL RECOGNIZES, AND THAT GOES FOR, I WOULD QURSS, THOFE MEMBERS WHO ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS AND THOHE MEMBERS WHO ARE SKEPTICAL ABOUT SUCCESS, I THINK THAT THE WHOLE COUNCIL RECOGNIZES THAT WE SHOULD DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GIVE THE NEGOTIATIONS A FAIR WIND; THAT WE SHOULD DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GIVE THE NEGOTIATIONS THE BRAT CHANCE OF COMING TO A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUBION. I THINK ONE THING WE CAN DO IS TO ENSURE THAT NEGOTIATIONS TAKE PLACE CONFIDENTIALLY BECAUSE I THINK IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO NEGOTIATE HALF IN PUBLIC AND HALF IN PRIVATE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE ARE INTENT ON
REACHING A HECRET DEAL. WE COULDN'T REACH A SECRET DEAL BECAUSE ANY AGREEMENT HAS TO BE SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITY, HAS TO BE EXPLAINED AND JUSTIFIED TO THIS COUNCIL. BUT WHILE THE D18CURAJONS АНЕ ΠΟΙΝΑ ON, I THINK IT'S BEST TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE SENSITIVITIES OF SOME OF THOSE WHO ARE NEGOTIATING AND HOPE THAT THAT CONTRIBUTES TO A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME,
IME CHIM