TNAG-1478-FCO40-2010-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1986 — Page 61

SECRET

TOP COM A DIST

109A

OCMIAN 6781

SECRET

00 HOKON

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

031630Z OCT

GRS 223

LOKK 027/17

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

12 NOV 1986

OFFICER

PA

REGISTAY

Action Taken

66781

SECRET

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 2151

OF 031630Z OCTOBER 86

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

107

YOUR TELNO 3237: PREPARATION OF PAPERS FOR THE SECRETARY OF

STATE: COMPOSITION OF THE LEGISLATURE AND DIRECT ELECTIONS

1.

AGAIN WE ARE NOT CERTAIN THAT OUR NEW DRAFT PARAGRAPH 14

WOULD GIVE THE CHINESE THE IMPRESSION WHICH YOU ATTRIBUTE TO IT.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ALTERNATIVE VERSION?

2.

QUOTE. THIS PAPER HAS NOT ADDRESSED THE QUESTION OF

DIRECT ELECTIONS, WHICH IS BEING ACTIVELY DISCUSSED INTHE

HONG KONG MEDIA AND BY A SUB-GROUP OF THE BASIC LAW

DRAFTING COMMITTEE. THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG

GOVERNMENTS HAVE NOT OF COURSE ADOPTED, IN ADVANCE OF THE

1987 REVIEW OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG,

ANY VIEW AS

TO WHETHER DIRECT ELECTIONS SHOULD BE INTRODUCED IN HONG

KONG BEFORE 1997. BUT THEY CONSIDER THAT, IF IT WERE

DECIDED THAT PART OF THE LEGISLATURE SHOULD BE DIRECTLY

ELECTED AT SOME TIME BEFORE 1997, THIS COULD IN PRACTICE

BE DONE IN A WAY THAT WAS NOT DISRUPTIVE OR CONTROVERSIAL

IN HONG KONG, AND WHICH WOULD BE CAPABLE OF CONVERGENCE

WITH POST-1997 ARRANGEMENTS. UNQUOTE

WE ARE SUBMITTING YOUR TELEGRAM, AND THIS REPLY, SO THAT

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