TNAG-1368-FCO40-1814-Constitutional-reforms-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 17

Date

Statements by Chinese

Officials

23.11.85

Constitutional Reforms (23)

Statements by Government News Comments/Editorials

Officials

Statements/Comments

by others

(Legco Unofficial Martin Lee): Direct election to Legco would not violate the Joint Declaration which stipulated that the legislature of the future SAR would be elected.

24.11.85

(LI Hou, Deputy Director of China's HK & Macau Affairs Office, quoted by Anthony Neoh, leader of a group of lawyers, on return from Peking): Local political reforms should be compatible with the Basic Law. China was not afraid of political reforms moving ahead too slowly. The fear was that they might go too fast.

(Secretary for Trade and Industry Eric Ho): The comments by Xu Jiatun on political reforms will1 not have an adverse effect on the atmosphere of the Nov. 26 JLG meeting.

Non-communist Paper

(Wah Kiu Yat Po): JLG should discuss HK's political system to resolve the differences between China and UK.

(An unnamed lawyer told Centre Daily News): Britain had broken the rules of the game by handing over the political reforms to the HK Govt. Xu Jiatun was referring to some Legco Unofficials who planned

to propose changes to the political system, thus creating a fait accompli which would affect Basic Law drafting.

(Maria Tam):

The JLG

should discuss HK's

political reforms only at the later stage of its works. At the present stage, both sides should raise the issue

informally only.