TNAG-1752-FCO40-2472-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 38

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FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 693

OF 111615Z MARCH 88

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

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HKB

нкв acola,

TOP COPY Q DIST 7

аз

004513

MDHOAN 0726

YOUR TELNO 1032 AND 1033

CONSOLIDATED FUND DEBATE ON HONG KONG

1. THE DEBATE TOOK PLACE IN THE EARLY HOURS OF 11 MARCH AND LASTED 90 MINUTES. FOUR MPS (MAREK, BRAY, RUSSEL JOHNSON AND ROBERTSON) ATTENDED AND SPOKE. MR EGGAR REPLIED FOR THE

GOVERNMENT.

2.

THE DEBATE CONTAINED NO SURPRISES. MAREK QUOTED EXTENSIVELY FROM A VERSION OF THE DRAFT BASIC LAW, WHICH HE HAD OBTAINED IN HONG KONG, FOCUSSING HIS REMARKS ON THE SECTIONS DEALING WITH THE LEGISLATURE AND THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE. HIS MAIN THEME WAS THAT THE

BASIC LAW AS IT WAS NOW EMERGING FELL SHORT OF THE SPIRIT IF NOT

THE LETTER OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. HE WAS ALSO CRITICAL CON

FAMILIAR LINES) OF THE DECISIONS IN THE WHITE PAPER.

WERE GENERALLY ECHOED BY THE THREE OTHER SPEAKERS.

3. ALL FOUR MPS ASSERTED PARLIAMENT'S RIGHT TO DEBATE THE BASIC LAW, PARTICULARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. BUT ALL WERE CAREFUL TO STRESS THAT THEY WERE SPEAKING AS FRIENDS OF CHINA AND THAT THEIR COMMENTS WERE

INTENDED TO BE HELPFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE.

•

·

THESE VIEWS

4.

IN REPLY MR EGGAR SPOKE ON THE AGREED LINES HE SAID THAT

IT WAS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT MPS SHOULD WISH TO RAISE THE QUESTION

OF THE HONG KONG CONSTITUTION AND THE DRAFT BASIC LAW. THE DRAFT

LAW WAS INTENDED TO IMPLEMENT THE POLICIES CONTAINED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, WHICH FORMED A PART OF A SOLEMN AND INTERNATIONALLY BINDING TREATY BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN, AND HAD BEEN DEBATED BY THE HOUSE. IT WAS THEREFORE RIGHT THAT THE HOUSE SHOULD CONSENT

TO GIVE ITS VIEWS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TREATY IN THE

DRAFT. COMMENTING ON THE STATUS OF THE DOCUMENT FROM WHICH MAREK WAS QUOTING, MR EGGAR EMPHASISED THAT THE ONLY AUTHENTIC ONE WOULD BE THE TEXT DUE TO BE PUBLISHED IN LATE APRIL/EARLY MAY.

HE AVOIDED DETAILED COMMENT ON THE TEXT OF THE DRAFT LAW. HE

WELCOMED THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR REPEATED CONSULTATIONS OF HONG

KONG PEOPLE THAT CHINA WAS PROVIDING. MR EGGAR DEFENDED THE

DECISIONS IN THE WHITE PAPER ON STANDARD LINES, EMPHASISING THE GENERALLY POSITIVE REACTION IT HAD RECEIVED IN HONG KONG.

COMMENT

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