XN000022-1990-01-16 — Page 18

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3

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1990

MR HURD:

DISCUSSION, AND

IT IS TOO EARLY TO SPEAK OF OPTIMISM. THERE IS A

THESE OBVIOUSLY

WERE MATTERS RAISED

BY

THE VISITED GOVERNOR AND. INDEED. BY SIR PERCY CRADOCK WHEN THEY RECENTLY

ON STANCE

THIS PERING. 1'VE ANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR

COPIOUSLY ENOUGH DURING THIS VISIT, AND OF COURSE HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO DO SO AGAIN. YOU MUST ASK THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES QUESTIONS ABOUT

SHOULD. STANCE. OUR STANCE IS THAT IT IS RIGHT THAT HONG KONG YEAR. START SUBSTANTIALLY

THE UPWARD PATH TOWARDS DEMOCRACY

ON

THEIR

NEXT

WITH

THAT

1988. RUNNING

THEM,

THE DIRECT ELECTION OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS. OUR STANCE IS THAT START SHOULD OCCUR AT A HIGHER LEVEL, CONSIDERABLY HIGHER LEVEL, THAN WAS

JANUARY PLANNED TWO YEARS AGO IN OUR WHITE PAPER OF OUR STANCE IS THAT THE BEST WAY WOULD BE TO ENSURE FOR THOSE FOR POLITICAL OFFICE, FOR SEATS, AND FOR THOSE WHO WOULD ELECT TO ENSURE THAT THIS PROCESS WOULD CONTINUE. AND NOT ONLY CONTINUE PROGRESS AND DEVELOP UPWARDS DURING THE YEARS WHICH FOLLOW. WHAT WE ARE AIMING AT. 1 WILL GO BACK FROM THIS VISIT THE KEEN INTEREST OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG THAT THIS SHOULD BE ACHIEVED.

BUT

THAT ts VERY CLEAR OF

SIMON WONG ISING TAO YAT PO): 1 WANT TO ASK QUESTION. DOES LI HOU'S SPEECH MEAN ELECTED SEATS IN LEGCO NEXT YEAR?

THAT WE

WILL

GET

A FOLLOW

20

UP

DIRECTLY

KNOW

BUT

I DON'T IN THE ASK THE DON'T

MR HURD: YOU MUST ASK HIM; I DON'T KNOW THAT IT DOES. THAT HE

ANSWER WOULD

YOU IMMEDIATELY

TOTALLY AND

AFFIRMATIVE.

I DON'T THINK HE WOULD. NO,

YOU MUST PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ABOUT THEIR STANCE ON THIS MATTER, WANT TO PUT WORDS IN THEIR MOUTHS. I AM SIMPLY PERFECTLY PREPARED TO IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WE ARE AIMING FOR. OF DISCUSSION WITH THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. I HAVE LISTENED TO

HERE. MANY. MANY PEOPLE

THE INDEED. THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF

MAIN AND I GO PURPOSES OF MY VISIT. TO ASSESS OPINION AMONG PEOPLE HERE.

INTEREST BACK, AS I SAY, WITH A KEEN UNDERSTANDING OF THE VERY STRONG

TOWARDS DIRECT HERE IN MAKING THIS SUBSTANTIAL FIRST MOVE NEXT YEAR ELECTIONS OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS.

DEMOCRACY

IN

CLAUDIA MO (AFP): SIR, HAVE YOU OR YOUR DELEGATE ACTUALLY TOLD THE CHINESE BEFOREHAND YOUR DECISION TO BRING IN MORE HONG KONG, AND WHAT WAS THEIR RESPONSE?

AT

TO INTEND MR HURD: WELL, THEY KNOW

KONG AND IN HONG

PROVIDED FOR THERE HAS BEEN NO SECRET ABOUT THAT. THE QUESTION

THOSE YOU START AND HOW YOU CONTINUE?

ARE

THAT WE THAT IS

BRING IN IN THE

MORE JOINT

15,

THE TWO

DEMOCRACY DECLARATION.

WHAT LEVEL IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. AND THEY KNOW OUR THINKING ABOUT THAT, AND THEY KNOW BECAUSE

FEELING SHOULD HERE. 1 THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG THEMSELVES TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THESE AND SIMILAR FOINTS IN PERING. 1 WAS, THEREFORE, VERY GLAD TO READ OF THE DELEGATION WHICH HAS JUST RETURNED TO HONG KONG FROM PEKING I SAT NEXT TO ONE OF ITS MEMBERS AS IT HAPPENS TODAY, AT A MEAL AND I WAS GLAD THAT THEY WERE RECEIVED AT A SUITABLY HIGH LEVEL, BY THE CHINESE PRIME MINISTER. THAT HOPE 1S AN EXAMPLE OF THE SORT OF DIRECT CONTACT AND DIALOGUE WHICH 1 WILL BECOME MORE NORMAL, MORE INTENSE, DURING THE MONTHS AHEAD.

WE HAVE REPRESENTED TO THEM. THE STRENGTH OF

-

—

AND

YEARS

/CLAUDIA MO