XN000022-1993-03-12 — Page 5

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1993

GOVERNOR: ALREADY, ELECTORAL

BECAUSE

WAY

FITS

OUR

ΤΟ

WELL, OF COURSE WE HAVE PROCEEDED IN THAT THE COUNCIL HAS BEFORE IT THE LEGISLATION ON THE AND BOUNDARIES COMMISSION WHICH IS, I UNDERSTAND, AN ISSUE WHICH HASN'T RAISED CONTROVERSY IN DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN BRITISH AND CHINESE OFFICIALS. I THINK THAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL OBSERVE WHEN HE LOOKS AT THE BILL, WHEN HE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY OF DOING

THAT, AS OF COURSE CHINESE OFFICIALS HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME WEEKS PAST, I THINK THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL OBSERVE THAT THE BILL TOGETHER AND FITS TOGETHER, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN ONE LOOKS AT APPROACH TO DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS AND TO THE POSITION OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE. SO IT ISN'T EASY TO

VARIOUS DISENTANGLE THE ELEMENTS OF THE LEGISLATION IN THE WAY THAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER REQUESTS. CLEARLY, IF, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WANT TO STAND IN THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS

AUTUMN NEXT YEAR, YOU'D WANT TO BE ABLE BY THIS HAVE

WARD, LIKELY A PRETTY CLEAR IDEA ABOUT THE BOUNDARIES FOR YOUR YOU'D WANT TO HAVE A PRETTY CLEAR IDEA ABOUT

FOR THE ARRANGEMENTS THOSE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS AND THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS, I REPEAT, HAVE A CONSIDERABLE RELEVANCE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS. THERE IS ONE OTHER POINT THAT I'D PERHAPS LIKE TO MAKE;

ISSUES

BE THE

THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING AND DEBATING HAVE ΤΟ

RESOLVED SOONER OR LATER AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM RESOLVED SOONER SO WE CAN LAST GET BACK TO DEBATING OTHER MATTERS. I'M ONLY SORRY THAT IN THE

WEEKS, FEW

MATTERS HAVE BEEN RAISED WHICH, EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE

HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE OF CONTROVERSY IN THE PAST,

NEVER OCCASIONALLY CAUSED THE SORT OF OBSTACLES THAT WE SEE TODAY. HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

FOR OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH TEAM

10 YEARS OR IN NEGOTIATIONS, WHY NOW IS THAT A PROBLEM?

MORE

MR DAVID LI:

MENTIONED

CHINA WILL REMAIN

MR PATTEN, GOVERNOR, LAST FRIDAY YOU

AND BRITAIN A THAT ONLY

FEW POINTS OF DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN REMAIN WHICH YOU BELIEVE COULD AND SHOULD BE RESOLVED QUICKLY. YOU INFORM THIS COUNCIL HOW MANY POINTS OF DISAGREEMENT STILL UNRESOLVED AND WHAT ARE THEY?

OF

TALK

COUNCIL BEING

BY

GOVERNOR:

I DON'T WANT TO PUT MYSELF IN THE POSITION

ABOUT TALKS. EXPLAINING THE VIEW OF THE CHINESE SIDE TO THESE TALKS I'VE SET OUT VERY CLEARLY THE BASIS ON WHICH WE WERE PREPARED TO AND I WOULD BE VERY SURPRISED IF THERE WAS ANY MEMBER OF THIS

AS REGARDED

TO THE

ACCEPT WHO

BASIS THAT WE WERK PREPARED UNREASONABLE. SOME MIGHT THINK THAT WE'D GONE TOO FAR BUT I THINK AND LARGE IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR ANYBODY TO ARGUE THAT WE BEHAVED UNREASONABLY. IT REMAINS THE CASE THAT AFTER ALL THESE WEEKS,

ANNOUNCE A Ι WAS NOT IN A POSITION TODAY TO COME TO THE COUNCIL AND DATE FOR THE COMMENCEMENT OF TALKS. 1 WASN'T EVEN ABLE TO COME TO THE COUNCIL AND SAY: EARLY NEXT WEEK IP WE DEFER GAZETTAL TODAY BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE A DATE FOR THE COMMENCEMENT OF TALKS.

-

HAD

WE'LL

TEAM

ΤΟ

BE

FOR

I'VE SET OUT WHAT OUR VIEWS ARE ON THE THAT SHOULD TAKE PART IN THE TALKS AND IT IS FOR THE CHINESE SIDE

THE JOINT EXPLAIN WHY THAT WHICH HAS BEEN ACCEPTABLE FOR EXAMPLE IN LIAISON GROUP WHICH SOME CHINESE OFFICIALS WERE SUGGESTING SHOULD

IS NOT ACCEPTABLE WHERE WE DISCUSS THESE CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS, THE TALKS WHICH WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS. VERY DIFFICULT I THINK FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND AND I SUSPECT IT WILL VERY DIFFICULT FOR MANY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND.

IT'S

BE

/MR CHEUNG