XN000022-1993-03-05 — Page 7

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1993

WOULD WAYS TO

PUT THE GOVERNOR:

THIS COUNCIL CAN AMEND LEGISLATION THAT IS BEFORE IT, AND IT CAN AMEND LEGISLATION THAT IS PUT BEFORE IT WHATEVER PEOPLE QUTSIDE HAPPEN TO SAY. I THINK IF THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT NOT ONLY TO BRITAIN AND CHINA WHICH WAS BROADLY ACCEPTABLE, BETWEEN

AND BRITAIN

CHINA BUT TO PEOPLE IN HONG

THE KONG,

COUNCIL PROBABLY THINK TWICE OR THREE TIMES OR MORE ABOUT AMENDING IT IN WHICH WOULD SEND BRITAIN BACK TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE WITH CHINA SAY: IS THIS AMENDMENT ACCEPTABLE TO YOU? I THINK I AM STATING WHAT ACCEPTABLE IS AN OBVIOUS SCENARIO. SO MY HUNCH IS, IF SOMETHING WAS AND WAS THE RESULT OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA THE COUNCIL WOULD PROBABLY PASS IT. BUT THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN HAS DESCRIBED PRECISELY WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN THE ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS AND THE LETTERS PATENT.

DR

TANG DIPLOMATIC

HAS

SIU-TONG:

MR GOVERNOR, SINO-BRITISH TALKS ARE THROUGH CHANNELS

SUM AND I WISH TO SUPPLEMENT WHAT DR YEUNG SAID. DURING THIS PERIOD HOW COULD YOU ENHANCE TRANSPARENCY?

AT DIFFERENT STAGES,

OF INFORM THIS COUNCIL YOU,

WHAT

ACHIEVED?

THE GOVERNOR:

ΤΟ

WILL

HAS

BEEN

MAKE OF

THE

DURING VARIOUS STAGES OF THE DISCUSSIONS I WOULD OF COURSE ATTEMPT TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH GROUPS OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS AND INDIVIDUAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS. BUT I MUST THIS CLEAR, I WOULDN'T BE IN A POSITION IN WHICH AFTER EVERY ROUND TALKS, IF TALKS TOOK PLACE, I COULD COME TO THE COUNCIL AND DESCRIBE EXACTLY WHAT HAD BEEN HAPPENING AROUND THE NEGOTIATING TABLE BECAUSE

INTO IF ONE WAS TO DO THAT ONE WOULD INTRODUCE AN ELEMENT THINK DIPLOMACY AND INTO THE NEGOTIATION WHICH WOULD BE FRANKLY UNACCEPTABLE BOTH SIDES. I DON'T THINK IT WOULD MAKE THE NEGOTIATIONS THEMSELVES

NEED TO POSSIBLE OR REASONABLE. BUT, I WOULD OBVIOUSLY

IN KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THINKING IN THIS COUNCIL AND HONG RONG

ORDER ΤΟ GIVE ADVICE DURING THE COURSE OF THE

IF THEY NEGOTIATIONS,

TAKE PLACE, ABOUT WHAT WAS LIKELY ACCEPTABLE AT THE END OF THE DAY IN HONG KONG, THAT SURELY NEED STATING, THAT SURELY IS ACCEPTABLE TO EVERYONE. OF ANY NEGOTIATIONS, IF THEY TAKE PLACE, WHETHER THEY ARE OR WHETHER THEY ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL, I WILL HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TO THE COUNCIL WHAT HAS BEEN DONE, WHAT HAS BEEN ARGUED FOR

DEFEND OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND IN THE NAME OF HONG KONG, NAME

THE RIGHT DECISIONS AND I HOPE THAT CONVINCE THE COUNCIL THAT BEEN TAKEN,

MR

IN

MR

BE

ΤΟ DOESN'T AND AT THE RND SUCCESSFUL EXPLAIN TN THE IT,

HAVE

IF

MR

MUST

ALSO,

THE

YOU

WAH SZETO

(THROUGIE INTERPRETER):

PRESIDENT, NEGOTIATIONS ARE TO RE-START, NOW CHINA HAS REPEATEDLY STATED THAT PATTEN'S REFORM PACKAGE MUST BE WITHDRAWN FIRST AND THAT BRITAIN

AND ASSURE

THAT THE AGREEMENT WILL BE PASSED BY LEGCO, CHINA BRITAIN STATED REPEATEDLY THAT THERE WILL BE NO PRE-CONDITIONS TO TALKS. NOW,

HAVE ARE THE THINGS MENTIONED PRE-CONDITIONS? DROPPED YOUR OWN REFORM PACKAGE? NOW IF TALKS ARE TO RE-START CAN WE SAY THAT CHINA HAS CHANGED ITS STAND, OR SHALL WE SAY THAT BRITAIN HAS CHANGED THEIR CHANGED ITS STAND, OR CAN WE SAY THAT BOTH SIDES HAVE STAND AND NOW THERE IS NOW A SECRET CONSENSUS?

/THE GOVERNOR: