CONFIDENTIAL
176003
MDHIAN 1357
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 10100OZ FCO
TELNO 1032
OF 10090OZ MARCH 88
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
85
TOP COPY HK B040QDIST?
YOUR TELNO 670: CONSOLIDATED FUND DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS:
BASIC LAW
OUR COMMENTS ON THE OUTLINE OF MR. EGGARS SPEECH ARE AS FOLLOWS:
(A)
PARA 2(C) : A WORD SEEMS TO BE MISSING FROM THE THIRD SENTENCE AFTER ''POSITIVE''.
(B) PARA 2(E) : ALTHOUGH THE TERM ''MINI CONSTITUTION IS FREQUENTLY USED BY COMMENTATORS IN HONG KONG, IT IS NOT (NOT) A WITH WHICH THE CHINESE ARE COMFORTABLE BECAUSE OF ITS ''SOVER-
EIGNTY'' IMPLICATIONS. SUGGEST DELETING THE SECOND SENTENCE.
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(C) PARA 2(F) : AVOID USING THE WORD ANIMAL IN SECOND SENTENCE AS IT MAY GET A MOST UNFELICITOUS TRANSLATION INTO CHINESE BY REPORTERS. THE LAST TWO SENTENCES DO NOT APPEAR TO FOLLOW FROM THE PRECEDING SENTENCES, AND WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT
POINT YOU ARE MAKING. IF IT IS INTENDED TO REFER TO THE IMPORTANCE OF A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT IN 1997
.I.E. ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FORMATION OF FIRST SAR GOVERNMENT, WOULD IT NOT BE BETTER FOR THIS POINT TO BE MADE SEPARATELY, OR PREFERABLY NOT AT ALL IN THE CONTEXT OF A PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE?
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(D) PARA 2(G) : SUGGEST REPLACING 'VIEWS COORDINATED BY THE
BLCC' BY ''VIEWS COLLECTED BY BLCC
ALSO WE FIND THE REFERENCE TO THE CHINESE SIDE'S ''ENLIGHTENED APPROACH'' A TOUCH PATRONISING : WE SUGGEST REPLACING THE LAST SENTENCE BY ''WELCOME
OPPORTUNIEIS FOR REPEATED CONSULTATION PROVIDED BY CHINESE
SIDE''.
(E) PARA 2(H) : THE SECOND SENTENCE SUGGESTS A RATHER OVERT PROCESS OF TESTING : WE WOULD PREFER IT TO BEGIN ''KEY CONSIDERATION''. THE THIRD SENTENCE IN ITS PRESENT POSITION IMPLIES JOINT ACTION WITH THE CHINESE TO TEST BL/JD COMPAT-
IBILITY : MIGHT IT NOT BE BETTER PLACED AT THE END OF THE PARA?
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