COHAEI
CONFIDENTIAL
19
1988
78
ил
12
FROM
CO Hum
Z
Cu w
3
HKB 040/2 Hong Kong Department
DATE :
.med......
CC
Toky
Private Secretary
Bourg ex
~ State
19 January 1988
PS/Lord Glenarthur
Mr Gillmore
Mr McLaren
Mr Meyer, News Department
P RU
Mr Houston
Mrs Bottomley
DEBATE ON HONG KONG
1.
The Hong Kong Government Office have just sent to us the attached text of a press statement issued by the Labour Party.
2.
According to the statement the Labour Party Front Bench "will be arguing that the time has come for direct elections" in tomorrow's debate. Curiously, however, the rest of the statement is not absolutely clear on the question of timing. The implication is that the Labour Party spokesman will be pressing for direct elections this year. However the final sentence states only that "confidence will be severely undermined if there is no firm commitment to direct elections [timing unspecified] in either the Foreign Secretary's speech or the Hong Kong Government White Paper".
3.
The Secretary of State will wish to be aware of this before he
sees Mr Kaufman this afternoon.
ск
CO Hum
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.