XN000022-1991-04-02 — Page 4

3

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1991

HK DELEGATION MAKES SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IN UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE HEARING

SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS WAS MADE YESTERDAY (APRIL 1 IN FIRST OF A THREE-DAY HEARING BY THE

DURING THE

HUMAN RIGHTS HONG KONG

EXPLAINING TAKEN

NEW YORK) UNITED NATIONS STEPS THE

RIGHTS

IN THE

THE COMMITTEE IN

SIGNIFICANT To ENSURE HUMAN HAS GOVERNMENT TERRITORY, ACCORDING TO THE SOLICITOR GENERAL, MR FRANK STOCK.

CLEARED

MR STOCK, WHO LED A FIVE-MEMBER SENIOR LEVEL DELEGATION TO UP AS WERE SAID A NUMBER OF MISCONCEPTIONS GOVERNMENT'S POSITION WAS PRESENTED TO THE 18-MEMBER COMMITTEE.

YORK,

NEW THE

KONG MR STOCK REPORTED THAT THERE WAS INTENSE INTEREST IN HONG

REVIEW HUMAN BY THE COMMITTEE, ALTHOUGH THE HEARING IS BEING HELD TO RIGHTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND DEPENDENT TERRITORIES.

SAID THE

OPPORTUNITY

HAD BEEN

TAKEN

TO

MAKE TWO

HE POINTS IN PARTICULAR TO THE COMMITTEE IN ANSWER TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. THESE WERB:

OF RIGHTS EXTREME CARE HAD BEEN TAKEN IN DRAFTING THE BILL TO ENSURE ITS COMPATIBILITY WITH THE BASIC LAW SO THAT KONG HAD A BILL OF RIGHTS THAT NOT ONLY LASTED BUT SURVIVED 1997.

HONG UNTIL 1997,

THE JOINT DECLARATION WAS A ENSURED THAT THE PROVISIONS OF ON CIVIL AND

REPORTING OBLIGATIONS

THE

PRECISE

MECHANICS

OF

WOULD BE

DISCUSSED

BINDING LEGALLY

TREATY WHICH THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT INCLUDING POLITICAL RIGHTS (ICCPR)

WOULD REMAIN IN FORCE POST-1997.

IT WOULD HOW

BE IMPLEMENTED

IN CHINESE GOVERNMENT WITH THE

INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS SUB-GROUP OF THE

THE JOINT

LIAISON GROUP.

STOCK SAID THESE

AND

MR

ADDRESSED QUESTIONS TWO POINTS

OF THE COMMITTEE, WHICH COMPRISED CONCERNS RAISED BY MANY MEMBERS

FROM COUNTRIES LAWYERS AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS SPECIALISTS

THE COVENANT HAS REEN APPLIED WHICH ARE PARTIES TO THE ICCPR., HONG KONG SINCE 1976.

ΤΟ

MR

STOCK

EXPRESSED

PARTICULAR QUEST LONS.

GRATITUDE CONCERN FOR HONG KONG

TO THE

DEMONSTRATED IT

COMMITTEE

FOR THROUGH

THE

IT'S

HE SAID

HE

THE

BY COMMENTS

WOULD CONVEY TO THE

AND COMMITTEE

ADMINISTRATION VIEWS THE WORK OF THIS

THE HONG KONG ADMINISTRATION

"THE

HONG KONG STRESSED: COMMITTEE SERIOUSLY AND WITH

THE UTMOST RESPECT."

IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, EXPLAINED WHY THE DRAFT BILL OF RIGHTS HONG KONG LAW.

WOULD

NOT BE

MR STOCK ENTRENCHED IN

/"WHAT WILL