XN000022-1992-11-10 — Page 2

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1992

VIEWS SHOULD BE PUT TO COMMUNITY: GOVERNOR

THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY) THAT AS THE DEBATE ON THE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT HAD STARTED THOSE WHO HAD VIEWS NEED TO PUT THEM OUT SO THAT THE COMMUNITY COULD EVALUATE AND BE AWARE OF THEM.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER A MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, MR PATTEN SAID: "AT PRESENT THERE IS ONLY ONE SET OF PROPOSALS ON THE TABLE, BUT I'M SURE THAT AS THE DEBATE UNFOLDS OTHERS WILL PUT FORWARD THEIR PROPOSALS AS WELL, AND THAT WILL BE VERY WELCOMED.

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"I HOPE PEOPLE WILL NOTICE AND TAKE SOME SATISFACTION FROM THE FACT THAT THE DEBATE ABOUT HONG KONG'S FUTURE IS TAKING PLACE HERE IN HONG KONG.

"AFTER WIDESPREAD DISCUSSIONS THROUGH THE SUMMER AND EARLY AUTUMN, I PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS WHICH HAVE, I THINK, PRODUCED A GOOD DEAL OF PUBLIC SUPPORT. FIVE, I THINK OUT OF THE SEVEN PROPOSALS THAT I PUT FORWARD ARE PRETTY WIDELY ENDORSED," HE SAID.

"THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF DEBATE, HOWEVER, ABOUT TWO PROPOSALS, PRINCIPALLY THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND THE COMMITTEE.

OF THOSE ELECTION

MATTERS

"I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THOSE WHO HAVE VIEWS ON THOSE WILL PUT FORWARD SPECIFIC PROPOSALS THEMSELVES. THAT'S THE WAY IN WHICH I THINK WE SHOULD CARRY FORWARD THE DEBATE," THE GOVERNOR SAID.

"WHAT

WE ALL WANT, AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ENDORSED, I WAS GLAD TO NOTE, BY DIRECTOR LU PING OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAO AFFAIRS OFFICE IN PEKING, IS PROPOSALS FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS WHICH ARE FAIR, AND WHICH ARE OPEN AND WHICH ARE ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

"THAT IS THE TRIO OF CRITERIA WHICH 1 HAVE RIGHT AT THE TOP OF MY AGENDA AND I HOPE EVERYBODY ELSE WILL HAVE THOSE CRITERIA AS WELL, HE ADDED.

ASKED IF HE WOULD MEET THE CHINESE VICE-PREMIER, MR ZHU RONGJI IN LONDON, MR PATTEN SAID: "I BELIEVE THAT I'M LIKELY TO MEET HIM AT A SOCIAL OCCASION. I DON'T THINK THAT IS LIKELY TO BE AT A TIME WHEN WE'LL HAVE SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS."

"BUT I KNOW THAT HE IS MEETING THE PRIME MINISTER; I KNOW THAT HE 15 MEETING THE FOREIGN MINISTER AND IT'S CONCEIVABLE THAT THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG WILL BE A MATTER THEY DISCUSS. I IMAGINE THEY'LL HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DISCUSS AS WELL, HE ADDED.

"

/WHEN ASKED