XN000022-1993-10-06 — Page 55

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1993

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GOVERNOR: IT WON'T BE A THORNY AREA IF ALL PARTIES TO THIS GREAT ENDEAVOUR OF ATTEMPTING TO SECURE A SMOOTH AND PEACEFUL AND SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION WITH GREAT SINCERITY IMPLEMENT THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER OF THE JOINT DECLARATION AS WE INTEND TO DO. IF THAT IS HOW EVERYBODY BEHAVES THEN IT WILL BE AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL YEAR. I WANT TO MAKE ONE POINT WHICH I MAKE FAIRLY FREQUENTLY BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S NECESSARILY BORING OR NECESSARILY INCORRECT. WHAT WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO DO WITH CHINA IS HISTORIC, IS UNIQUE. A SMOOTH AND PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONCEPT OF "ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS" IT'S NOT PERHAPS SURPRISING THAT THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES AND BUMPS AND PROBLEMS. I THINK WE'VE SHOWN EXEMPLARY PATIENCE AND CREATIVE IMAGINATION AND FLEXIBILITY IN TRYING TO DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS AND I HOPE THAT WE SEE SOME OF THOSE QUALITIES FROM CHINESE OFFICIALS AS WELL.

THE NOT

QUESTION: THE BRITISH SIDE HAVE TABLED A PROPOSAL WHICH EFFECTIVELY CUT THE VOTING POPULATION BY ONE THIRD. NOW WOULD YOU ADMIT THAT PROPOSAL BY THE BRITISH SIDE IS A CONCESSION MADE AND THEREBY LIVING UP TO YOUR PROMISE OF MORE DEMOCRACY FOR HONG KONG AND WHAT IS THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF ELECTORATES THAT YOU FEEL CAN MAKE THE POLLS IMPOSSIBLE TO RIG?

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GOVERNOR: WELL LET ME REPEAT AGAIN WHAT I SAID EARLIER. WE MADE IN JULY AND AUGUST AN IMPORTANT MOVE. IT WAS A CONDITIONAL MOVE. WE SAID THAT WE WERE PREPARED TO PUT FORWARD NEW PROPOSALS ON FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND ON THE ELECTION COMMITTEE WHICH WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO RECOMMEND TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IF WE GOT AN OVERALL AGREEMENT THAT WAS ACCEPTABLE, INCLUDING AGREED OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE THROUGH TRAIN'. BUT, I REPEAT THAT THAT WAS A CONDITIONAL OFFER, AS YOU WOULD EXPECT. BOTH THE ELEMENTS IN OUR PROPOSAL, IN MY JUDGEMENT WOULD WHOLE MEET MY REQUIREMENT, THE COMMUNITY'S REQUIREMENT, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENT THAT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ELECTIONS SHOULD BE OPEN AND FAIR. WE ARE STILL ARGUING THAT THE ELECTION COMMITTEE SHOULD BE ELECTED NOT THAT IT SHOULD BE SOME ALTERNATIVE OPTION TO NOMINATION OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS. SECONDLY, WE ARE PROPOSING FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES WHICH REPRESENT SUBSTANTIAL AND IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY AND ARE SUFFICIENTLY LARGE, REPRESENTING IN TOTAL ABOUT A THIRD OF MY ORIGINAL PROPOSALS, AND SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO ENSURE THAT THERE WOULD BE PROPER ELECTIONS IN THOSE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES. WE ARE ALSO ARGUING AND EVENTS A FEW MONTHS AGO IN RELATION TO ONE LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR UNDERLINE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS. WE ARE ALSO ARGUING THAT WE SHOULD MOVE CORPORATE TO INDIVIDUAL VOTING IN THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES. SO THAT'S THE POSITION WE ARE IN AT THE MOMENT, AND I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T HAVE AGREED TO US PUTTING FORWARD PROPOSALS AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE WHICH DIDN'T MEET OUR BASIC PRINCIPLES. THE PROPOSALS THAT WE'VE PUT FORWARD DO. I THINK YOU'D BETTER, PERHAPS YOU WILL, ASK OUR CHINESE FRIENDS AND INTERLOCUTORS SOME TIME WHAT THEY FIND SO DIFFICULT ABOUT THE PROPOSALS THAT WE'VE ADVANCED. I DARESAY THAT WILL HAPPEN.

QUESTION:

THAT THERE ARE ONLY WEEKS RATHER THAN MONTHS TO CONCLUDE THE TALKS AND YOU DID SAY THAT IT IS TIME FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT то MAKE SOME MOVES TO FACILITATE AN AGREEMENT. DO YOU AGREE THAT IS ACTUALLY TANTAMOUNT TO AN ULTIMATUM TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT? AND SECONDLY, GIVEN THE FAILURE IN THE MINISTERIAL MEETING LAST WEEK, ARE YOU STILL CONFIDENT THAT A FEW MORE ROUNDS TALKS WILL BRING ABOUT A BREAKTHROUGH?

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/GOVERNOR: ON