TNAG-2216-FCO40-3183-Position-on-the-Executive-Council-of-Peter-Duffell--Commande-1991 — Page 33

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SECRET

HONG KONG: REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

1.

Grateful for your comprehensive paper on the Basic Law

and the 1987

1987 review which I and FCO officials have read with

great interest.

2.

Part III ("Options for the 1987 Review") helpfully

outlines your thinking on the options for the Review, with which we generally concur.

i

3.

The major issue in the review, both for Hong Kong and

for the Chinese, will of course be the question of direct

elections to LEGCO. On this

this your

no your paper offers

I t view.

would be helpful to know your views on what, in general, the Green Paper might say on the subject of direct elections?

4.

your paper

Chinese concerns

Apart from the elections issue, the options proposed in generally very cautious, and in view of our and about convergence this is obviously right.

Are there however a few areas where we could possibly move

forward a little further than the paper

paper anticipates, without provoking an unhelpful Chinese reaction for example:

-

(a)

appointments to EXCO: at present the majority of EXCO Unofficials are not also LEGCO members. Might you wish.

to move

at Teast

close to

a position where EXCO

Unofficials are drawn from

LEGCO in the 1987 Review?

SECRET