XN000022-1990-04-11 — Page 26

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CHRISTINA CHOW (RTHK): IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT DURING THE COMMITTEE STAGE SOME, CLAUSES IN THE NATIONALITY BILL WILL BE AMENDED? LIKE THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO CAN ACCEPT THE PASSPORT WILL BE CUT DOWN BELOW 50.0002 WHAT CAN YOU DO?

MR MAUDE: WELL, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO MAKE AMENDMENTS OF THAT SORT: IN FACT I WOULD EXPECT ATTEMPTS TO BE MADE TO DO THAT. BUT THE GOVERNMENT WILL RESIST THAT, AND I HOPE WE SHALL PERSUADE A MAJORITY IN THE COMMITTEE, OR IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, TO ACCEPT THE BILL AS IT IS.

HAS

HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY (BBC): MR MAUDE, THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OVERWHELMINGLY REJECTED THE BASIC LAW ON THE GROUNDS THAT IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

WHAT OBLIGATION DOES BRITAIN HAVE TO TAKE THAT VIEW UP TO PEKING AND GET THE LAW CHANGED?

MR MAUDE: WELL I THINK THE WAY YOU EXPRESS THE QUESTION DOES NOT REFLECT MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DECIDED. I SUSPECT THE TERMS OF THE MOTION WERE NOT QUITE IN THE WORDS YOU USED. BUT THE BASIC LAW HAS ONLY JUST BEEN PROMULGATED LAST WEEK; IS A COMPLEX DOCUMENT: WE WILL BE LOOKING AT IT VERY CAREFULLY ARE LOOKING AT IT VERY CAREFULLY. CLEARLY, IT IS OPEN TO US, AND WOULD CLEARLY BE RIGHT, WHERE THERE ARE THINGS WHICH ARE UNCLEAR UNSATISFACTORY TO TAKE THEM UP AGAIN WITH PEKING, AND THAT WILL BE

DONE.

IT

WE

IT

OR

HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY: WILL YOU BE MAKING SPECIFIC REPRESENTATIONS TO PEKING ON THE SPECIFIC POINTS THAT WERE RAISED BY MR MARTIN LEE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL?

MR MAUDE: WELL I CAN'T UNDERTAKE THAT EVERY SINGLE POINT THAT MARTIN LEE RAISED IS GOING TO BE TRANSMITTED TO PEKING. BUT AS I SAY, WE ARE LOOKING AT IT VERY CAREFULLY; IF THERE ARE THINGS WHICH UNCLEAR AND IF THERE ARE THINGS WHICH REMAIN UNSATISFACTORY. OF COURSE THEY CAN BE PURSUED WITH PEKING, AND WILL BE.

ARE

ALAN LO (SING TAO YAT PO): MR MAUDE, YOU SEEM TO HAVE SORT OF CHANGED YOUR POSITION ON THE REPATRIATION ISSUE AND FOLLOW THE U.S. LINE IN THAT YOU HAVE VIRTUALLY ABANDONED THE IDEA OF BOTH VOLUNTARY AND INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION TO PROCEED IN FARALLEL. CAN YOU CLARIFY YOUR POSITION?

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