TNAG-2221-FCO40-3189-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislat-1991 — Page 59

B

A

Tel fest

P:

Mr Ricketts

M

PS/Lord Caithness

minister

JLG/LEGCO RELATIONSHIP

Problem

1.

CONFIDENTIAL

MR Riskeelte

FROM:

pa. Rore 7 Leg

21

Mi3 012/5

KAM Saunders

Hong Kong Department

DATE: 21 November 1991

j

45 20/11

de sis scou

18

to see. We will have

скорее.

this.

China Lead a

Whether to endorse Hong Kong's proposals, set out in the

attached telegram, suggesting ways of handling the vexed question of how to brief LegCo on JLG business.

1991

a

36

Recommendation

2.

These suggestions seem generally sensible, given that we

cannot hope completely to satisfy either the Chinese or

LegCo. Peking (telno 1963, attached) concur. I recommend

that we should reply to Hong Kong giving our agreement and making the points in para 5 below.

Background and Argument

3.

The

LegCo have requested formally, in a letter to the Governor from Allen Lee, to be briefed on JLG issues.

difficulties this raises are summarised in para 3 of Hong

Kong's telegram. Hong Kong proposes to send a careful reply to Allen Lee restating the formal position, which precludes formal briefing on JLG discussions, but to indicate the administration's readiness to talk to LegCo on a wide range

of issues. They will then tell Allen Lee (or his

successor), informally, how they propose to handle JLG issues in practice.

KAYAAJ/1

CONFIDENTIAL