TNAG-1446-FCO40-1930-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 7

2

GRS 550

SECRET

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 29113OZ FCO

TELNO 4270

OF 29103OZ DECEMBER 86

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

562

Secret

TIKK O

SUNY

29 DEC 1986

(564

onli

TOP COPY Q DIST 7

Taken

YOUR TELNO 2936: 1987 REVIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE

GOVERNMENT: THE SURVEY OFFICE.

1. I NOTE YOUR VIEWS ON THE INTER-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TIMING

AND MANNER OF INFORMING THE CHINESE ABOUT THE SETTING UP OF THE

SURVEY OFFICE AND THE CONTINUING DIALOGUE ON OTHER ISSUES RELATING

TO THE GREEN PAPER. I AM CONCERNED, HOWEVER, AT THE IMPLICATION OF

THE 3RD AND 4TH SENTENCES OF PARA 2 OF TUR THAT THERE MAY BE A NEED

TO REFER THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE METHOD FOR CONSULTING THE PUBLIC

ON THE 1987 GREEN PAPER BECAUSE OF A PERCEIVED LINK WITH

CONSULTATION ON THE GREEN PAPER.

2. WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE PUBLICATION OF THE GREEN PAPER NO LATER

THAN MAY. IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE SURVEY OFFICE IS READY TO

COMMENCE WORK IMMEDIATELY, STAFF MUST BE IN POST AND THE OFFICE

IN FULL OPERATION SOME TIME IN ADVANCE OF THE PUBLICATION DATE, IN

ORDER TO UNDERTAKE THE NECESSARY PLANNING AND PREPARATORY WORK. OUR

PROVISIONAL TARGET DATE FOR SETTING UP THE SURVEY OFFICE HAS

BEEN 1ST MARCH 1987, ASSUMING PUBLICATION OF THE GREEN PAPER IN EARLY APRIL. EVEN ALLOWING FOR SOME SLIPPAGE IN THE DATE OF

PUBLICATION, I FEEL THAT AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE SETTING UP OF THE

SURVEY OFFICE SHOULD BE MADE NO LATER THAN SAY MID FEBRUARY, OR THERE

WILL BE A REAL DANGER THAT THE OFFICE WILL NOT BE ESTABLISHED IN

TIME. MOREOVER, THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN MUCH MEDIA INTEREST IN THE

SUBJECT OF HOW PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE GREEN PAPER IS TO BE

CARRIED OUT. SPECULATION WILL INCREASE AS TO WHY AN

ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FORTHCOMING.

3. WITH REGARD TO YOUR SPECIFIC COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT EXCO MEMORANDUM:

(A) THE POINTS AT PARA. 3(A) AND (B) OF THE DRAFT MEMORANDUM ARE CLOSELY CONNECTED. THERE CONTINUES TO BE A BODY OF OPINION IN HONG KONG WHICH, DESPITE THE ASSURANCES WHICH HAVE BEEN GIVEN BOTH BY HONG KONG OFFICIALS AND BY HMG, REMAINS SCEPTICAL THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL BE ABLE TO RESIST PRESSURES TO TAILOR THE OUTCOME OF THE 1987 REVIEW TO MEET CHINESE WISHES. FOR THIS REASON, THE PERSONS WHO WILL BE THE MONITORS OF THE WORK OF THE SURVEY OFFICE WILL HAVE TO BE CHOSEN VERY CAREFULLY TO ENSURE THEY ARE SEEN AS BEING COMPLETELY IMPARTIAL AND WITH NO INTEREST IN SEEING ANY PARTICULAR OUTCOME. I DO NOT FEEL THERE IS ANY DANGER OF EXCO MEMBERS MIS-UNDERSTANDING THIS POINT AND WOULD PREFER TO RETAIN IT IN THE MEMORANDUM BUT PERHAPS IT WOULD MEET YOUR POINT IF WE REPLACED MONITORED BY INFLUENCED' AND REMOVED THE BRACKETS FROM AND THE CHINESE'',

SECRET

LB