XN000022-1993-12-02 — Page 8

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1993

GOVERNOR: I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THE ANSWER I HAVE IS A MODEL ANSWER, BUT

WILL MEMBER I'LL TRY TO MAKE IT SUCH AND PERHAPS THE HONOURABLE ALLOW ME TO SET OUT THE POSITION IN SOME DETAIL, BECAUSE IT'S BECOME A MATTER OF CONTROVERSY I NOTICE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. I WON'T GO INTO ALL THE DETAIL OF THE NEGOTIATIONS BECAUSE WE STILL HOPE THAT THE TALKS WILL CONTINUE BUT I WILL TELL THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WHAT I THINK NEEDS TO BE ON THE RECORD AT THIS STAGE.

AND

BUT

WE

WELL I SAID EXAMPLE

AT A FAIRLY EARLY STAGE IN THE NEGOTIATIONS THE CHINESE SIDR SUGGESTED

THE TO US, AS I RECALL IT WAS IN MAY, THAT WE SHOULD SPLIT LEGISLATION FOR THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS FROM THE LEGISLATION FOR LEGÇO ITSELF.

THE WE MADE CLEAR FROM, AS I RECALL, 28TH MAY, THAT THAT WAS NOT AN OPTION WHICH WE FAVOURED. NOT AN OPTION WHICH WE FAVOURED BECAUSE WE POINTED OUT AGAIN AND AGAIN, WHICH THE COUNCIL WILL KNOW AND WILL CERTAINLY KNOW BY NEXT JULY, THE REAL THE PRESSURES ON US, THE BIGGEST PRESSURES ARE ON THE LEGISLATION ON LEGCO ELECTIONS.

TIME THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO TAKE MOST OF THE THAT IS WHAT I SUSPECT IS GOING TO GIVE US MOST OF THE DIFFICULTY. WE DID SAY THAT WE WERE PREPARED TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHAT

SHOULD BE THE STRAIGHTFORWARD ISSUES INVOLVING LEGCO AS THOUGHT AS DISTRICT ORGANISATIONS AND THE LESS STRAIGHTFORWARD ONES, THAT IN PUBLIC A NUMBER OF TIMES, I RECALL THAT I SAID IT FOR IN

ON STATEMENTS

13TH, 14TH AND I THINK 15TH OF OCTOBER. SHORTLY AFTER OCCASION

I'D MET THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WHO A MOMENT OR TWO AGO. QUESTION

IT WAS ALSO A POSITION THAT ABSOLUTELY PLAIN BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, DOUGLAS HURD,

WHEN HE MET HIM ON 1ST OCTOBER. QICHEN

SAID DOUGLAS HURD OCCASION THAT WE WEREN'T ATTRACTED BY THE IDEA OF SEPARATING DISTRICT

LEGCO, BECAUSE, I REPEAT AGAIN, GIVE DIDN'T

A SO THROUGHOUT WE'VE MADE BETWEEN, ON THE ONE HAND TRYING TO SEPARATE THE DISTRICT ORGANISATIONS FROM

AND ON THE LEGCO,

OTHER, TRYING то

THE SEPARATE

WE ISSUES FROM THE MORE COMPLICATED ONES. STRAIGHTFORWARD

DO THAT THE BEST WAY OF BUYING MORE TIME FOR THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IS TO GET AS MANY OF THE STRAIGHTFORWARD ONES INTO LEGISLATION AND THE MORE ONE CAN GET INTO EARLY LEGISLATION, LONGER YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES. THAT'S THE POSITION OF THE GOVERNMENT AND IT'S A POSITION WHICH IS I HOWEVER THINK WHOLLY REASONABLE AND IS INTENDED TO GIVE US THE TIME, SCEPTICAL THE COMMUNITY MAY BE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES, IT'S INTENDED

US

VERY TO GIVE

THE

ON THOSE TIME TO TRY FOR COMMON AGREEMENT DIFFICULT ISSUES WHICH LIE AT THE HEART OF THE ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1995. I THINK THAT IS A CREDIBLE POSTURE FOR US TO HAVE TAKEN AND TALKS THE I THINK IT'S PARTICULARLY CREDIBLE IF WE WANT TO GIVE THE CHANCE OF SUCCESS.

FROM ORGANISATIONS

US EXTRA TIME.

ON

ONE

ASKED A

WAS

MADR

ΤΟ

QIAN

ON

THAT

THE

THAT

DISTINCTION

MORE THINK

EARLY

THE

So

IF

AFTER ROUND

I CAN JUST ADD ONE POINT TO THAT ANSWER, WHETHER MODEL OR NOT.

IT IS OBVIOUSLY A MATTER OF CONCERN TO ALL OF US, PARTICULARLY Ì ROUND THINK A MATTER OF CONCERN TO THOSE WHO'VE BEEN AT THE TABLE FOR AFTER

ROUND, THAT WE

ΤΟ HAVEN'T MANAGED PROGRESS. I DON'T THINK, HAND ON HEART, I DON'T THINK COULD BLAME THAT ON OUR SIDE.

MAKE

THAT

MORE ANYBODY

MR PETER WONG:

MR

ADDITIONAL

EFFORTS

GOVERNOR, APART FROM WILL BE MADE BY THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THERE WILL BE FURTHER TALKS ON THE ELECTION

THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES

COMMITTEE,

TRAIN?

AND THE

THROUGH

PROPOSING A

DATE.

WHAT

/GOVERNOR