CONFIDENTIAL
96 025177
MDLIAN 7339
HKB
012/
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1359
OF 01090OZ MAY 89
NC 4/5
ة
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
PART ONE OF TWO
MEETING WITH LU PING ON 28 APRIL: BASIC LAW
SUMMARY
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
1. USEFUL DISCUSSION. ENCOURAGING RESPONSE ON NEED TO REMOVE REFERENDUM AND BRINGING FORWARD UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE BY ONE TERM. CHINESE WISH TO GIVE FURTHER THOUGHT TO PROBLEMS OF EXECUTIVE/ LEGISLATURE RELATIONSHIP. WELCOMED OUR SUGGESTIONS ON ARTICLE 19, 106 AND 157. NO CHANGE LIKELY ON 158. I DREW ATTENTION TO OUR CONCERNS ABOUT ARTICLE 89 AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR SELECTING FIRST CE. PROBLEMS OF PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS AND DEFENCE LANDS TOUCHED ON.
DETAIL
2. LU PING SAID THAT THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE MAINLAND DRAFTERS CURRENT VISIT WAS TO LISTEN TO VIEWS ON THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE SEC- TION OF THE BASIC LAW. WITH SOME OF THE LIBERALS THIS HAD BEEN DIFFICULT. WHEN THEY MET THE GROUP OF 190 THE LATTER HAD MADE A SHORT STATEMENT REPEATING THEIR PREVIOUS POSITION AND THEN WALKED OUT: THEY HAD NOT BEEN WILLING TO DISCUSS ALTERNATIVES.
POLITICAL STRUCTURE
3. THE MAJORITY DID NOT SEEM TO REGARD THE REFERENDUM AS A GOOD IDIA: IT WAS HEDGED WITH TOO MANY RESTRICTIONS. LU HIMSELF HAD NOT VOTED IN FAVOUR AND WAS SURPRISED WHEN IT HAD BEEN ADOPTED. FURTHERMORE, A PROBLEM WITH THE REFERENDUM IDEA WAS THAT PEOPLE WOULD DEMAND REFERENDA ON MANY OTHER ISSUES. HE THOUGHT THE REFERENDUM PROPOSAL SHOULD BE REVISED. THERE WERE DIFFERENT VIEWS ON WHAT SHOULD REPLACE IT. SOME WANTED A CLEAR STIPULATION THAT THE THIRD CE AND THE FOURTH LEGISLATURE WOULD BE SELECTED BY UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE: THIS WOULD BRING FORWARD UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE TO 2007 AND WOULD PUT AN END TO CONTROVERSY ON THE SUBJECT. OTHERS ARGUED IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT HONG KONG'S SITUATION WOULD BE IN 18
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CONFIDENTIAL
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