TNAG-2221-FCO40-3189-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislat-1991 — Page 60

CONFIDENTIAL

4.

The essential fact is that LegCo has to be persuaded to support the administration's policies in order to get the

necessary legislation passed. In order to achieve this on JLG matters without antagonising the Chinese,HKG proposes a 3-tier system of formal and informal briefing. A dialogue

Mentes between Guo Fengmin and LegCo/would be another useful

development, although we should not be too sanguine that

closer contact would necessarily eliminate suspicion and

mistrust. Systematic and forthcoming use of the OMELCO

panel (or LegCo Standing Committee) system is clearly desirable in itself, as well as providing a respectable cover for discussion of issues which are also JLG subjects.

But, given the Chinese suspicion of Standing Committees, we

cannot expect them to be taken in by the camouflage.

5. One point we might make to Hong Kong is that while

sensitive issues, such as defence lands, may not be suitable for formal discussion in front of panel or Standing Committee, it is precisely these issues which will cause us most difficulty with LegCo. The consultative mechanism must, therefore, grapple with them at some stage. Much will

depend on how the proposed selective informal briefings play

in LegCo as a whole. Probably the best that can be done over tough JLG negotiations in progress is to be as attentive and speedy as possible about keeping LegCo

informed, within the constraints of negotiating tactics and

confidentiality commitments.

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