TNAG-1310-FCO40-1667-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 135

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DESKBY FCO 0808ODZ FCO

DESK BY PEKING 080800Z

FM HONG KONG 08060OZ MAY 84

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1252 OF 8 MAY

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

MIPT.

FUTURE OF HONG KONG:

UMELCO VISIT TO LONDON.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF THE STATEMENT.

BEGINS.

''STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS ON 9TH MAY 1984:

THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS ARE THE TWO CENTRAL ORGANS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG. UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ARE IN THE MAJORITY IN BOTH COUNCILS. THEY ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR FROM A WIDE SPECTRUM OF SOCIETY. THROUGH THEIR MEMBERSHIP AND THESE TWO COUNCILS, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ADVISE ON THE FORMULATION OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES, PARTICIPATE IN THE ENACTMENT OF LEGISLATION, MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND CONSIDER COMPLAINTES BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AGAINST GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

AS THEY ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR RATHER THAN ELECTED, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS MAKE NO CLAIM TO REPRESENTATIVE STATUS, BUT THEY ARE IN TOUCH WITH ALL SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THEIR MEMBERSHIP OF OVER 300 BOARDS AND COMMITTEES DEALING WITH PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND WITH ALL FACETS OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE. SINCE THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG BEGAN IN LATE 1982, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HAVE RECEIVED, BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND THROUGH THE EMELCO OFFICE, MANY REPRESENTATIONS ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE AFTER 1997. SO THEY ARE IN A POSITION TO REFLECT THE VIEWS AND WISHES OF HONG KONG PEOPLE ON

THIS VITAL QUESTION.

THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT IN THE STRICTEST CONFIDENCE, ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN MANY STATEMENTS FROM THE CHINESE SIDE. SIR GEOFFREY HOWE'S STATEMENT IN HONG KONG ON 20TH APRIL PUBLICLY LIFTED THE VEIL FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM THE BRITISH SIDE ON SOME ASPECTS OF THE TALKS. INTER ALIA HE SAID THAT:

:

IT WOULD NOT BE REALISTIC TO THINK OF AN AGREEMENT THAT PROVIDES FOR CONTINUED BRITISH ADMINISTRATION IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997.

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