THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1993
GOVERNOR: I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THE ANSWER I HAVE IS A MODEL ANSWER, BUT
WILL MEMBER I'LL TRY TO MAKE IT SUCH AND PERHAPS THE HONOURABLE ALLOW ME TO SET OUT THE POSITION IN SOME DETAIL, BECAUSE IT'S BECOME A MATTER OF CONTROVERSY I NOTICE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. I WON'T GO INTO ALL THE DETAIL OF THE NEGOTIATIONS BECAUSE WE STILL HOPE THAT THE TALKS WILL CONTINUE BUT I WILL TELL THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WHAT I THINK NEEDS TO BE ON THE RECORD AT THIS STAGE.
AND
BUT
WE
WELL I SAID EXAMPLE
AT A FAIRLY EARLY STAGE IN THE NEGOTIATIONS THE CHINESE SIDR SUGGESTED
THE TO US, AS I RECALL IT WAS IN MAY, THAT WE SHOULD SPLIT LEGISLATION FOR THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS FROM THE LEGISLATION FOR LEGÇO ITSELF.
THE WE MADE CLEAR FROM, AS I RECALL, 28TH MAY, THAT THAT WAS NOT AN OPTION WHICH WE FAVOURED. NOT AN OPTION WHICH WE FAVOURED BECAUSE WE POINTED OUT AGAIN AND AGAIN, WHICH THE COUNCIL WILL KNOW AND WILL CERTAINLY KNOW BY NEXT JULY, THE REAL THE PRESSURES ON US, THE BIGGEST PRESSURES ARE ON THE LEGISLATION ON LEGCO ELECTIONS.
TIME THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO TAKE MOST OF THE THAT IS WHAT I SUSPECT IS GOING TO GIVE US MOST OF THE DIFFICULTY. WE DID SAY THAT WE WERE PREPARED TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHAT
SHOULD BE THE STRAIGHTFORWARD ISSUES INVOLVING LEGCO AS THOUGHT AS DISTRICT ORGANISATIONS AND THE LESS STRAIGHTFORWARD ONES, THAT IN PUBLIC A NUMBER OF TIMES, I RECALL THAT I SAID IT FOR IN
ON STATEMENTS
13TH, 14TH AND I THINK 15TH OF OCTOBER. SHORTLY AFTER OCCASION
I'D MET THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WHO A MOMENT OR TWO AGO. QUESTION
IT WAS ALSO A POSITION THAT ABSOLUTELY PLAIN BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, DOUGLAS HURD,
WHEN HE MET HIM ON 1ST OCTOBER. QICHEN
SAID DOUGLAS HURD OCCASION THAT WE WEREN'T ATTRACTED BY THE IDEA OF SEPARATING DISTRICT
LEGCO, BECAUSE, I REPEAT AGAIN, GIVE DIDN'T
A SO THROUGHOUT WE'VE MADE BETWEEN, ON THE ONE HAND TRYING TO SEPARATE THE DISTRICT ORGANISATIONS FROM
AND ON THE LEGCO,
OTHER, TRYING то
THE SEPARATE
WE ISSUES FROM THE MORE COMPLICATED ONES. STRAIGHTFORWARD
DO THAT THE BEST WAY OF BUYING MORE TIME FOR THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IS TO GET AS MANY OF THE STRAIGHTFORWARD ONES INTO LEGISLATION AND THE MORE ONE CAN GET INTO EARLY LEGISLATION, LONGER YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES. THAT'S THE POSITION OF THE GOVERNMENT AND IT'S A POSITION WHICH IS I HOWEVER THINK WHOLLY REASONABLE AND IS INTENDED TO GIVE US THE TIME, SCEPTICAL THE COMMUNITY MAY BE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES, IT'S INTENDED
US
VERY TO GIVE
THE
ON THOSE TIME TO TRY FOR COMMON AGREEMENT DIFFICULT ISSUES WHICH LIE AT THE HEART OF THE ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1995. I THINK THAT IS A CREDIBLE POSTURE FOR US TO HAVE TAKEN AND TALKS THE I THINK IT'S PARTICULARLY CREDIBLE IF WE WANT TO GIVE THE CHANCE OF SUCCESS.
FROM ORGANISATIONS
US EXTRA TIME.
ON
ONE
ASKED A
WAS
MADR
ΤΟ
QIAN
ON
THAT
THE
THAT
DISTINCTION
MORE THINK
EARLY
THE
So
IF
AFTER ROUND
I CAN JUST ADD ONE POINT TO THAT ANSWER, WHETHER MODEL OR NOT.
IT IS OBVIOUSLY A MATTER OF CONCERN TO ALL OF US, PARTICULARLY Ì ROUND THINK A MATTER OF CONCERN TO THOSE WHO'VE BEEN AT THE TABLE FOR AFTER
ROUND, THAT WE
ΤΟ HAVEN'T MANAGED PROGRESS. I DON'T THINK, HAND ON HEART, I DON'T THINK COULD BLAME THAT ON OUR SIDE.
MAKE
THAT
MORE ANYBODY
MR PETER WONG:
MR
ADDITIONAL
EFFORTS
GOVERNOR, APART FROM WILL BE MADE BY THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THERE WILL BE FURTHER TALKS ON THE ELECTION
THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES
COMMITTEE,
TRAIN?
AND THE
THROUGH
PROPOSING A
DATE.
WHAT
/GOVERNOR