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002230 MDHOAN 0142
SECRET
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 05010OZ HONG KONG
TELNO 1329
OF 041643Z SEPTEMBER 92
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG, PEKING
TOP COPY Q DIST?
PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM HUM, AUSS
UKREP JLG PERSONAL FOR GALSWORTHY
YOUR TELNO 2236: YOUR SPEECH TO LEGCO: CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
THANK YOU FOR FAXING TO US THE CURRENT DRAFT OF THE PART OF YOUR SPEECH DEALING WITH CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES.
1.
2. THE DRAFT OPD (K) MINUTE AND ATTACHMENTS, WHICH WE FAXED TO GH LAST NIGHT, WERE PREPARED WITHOUT OUR HAVING HAD THE CHANCE TO STUDY YOUR DRAFT SPEECH. THEY DID NOT THEREFORE TAKE ACCOUNT OF ONE POINT IN IT WHICH HAD NOT BEEN FLAGGED IN PREVIOUS TELEGRAMS. THAT IS THE POINT IN THE LAST TWO SENTENCES OF PARA 25 (IE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE WILL HAVE MADE THE CASE TO QIAN IN NEW YORK FOR AT LEAST 30 (30) DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN THE 1995 LEGCO ELECTIONS).
3 =
I THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW IN ADVANCE OF YOUR DISCUSSIONS WITH MR GOODLAD THAT WE HERE FEAR THE WAY IN WHICH THIS POINT IS PUT IN THE CURRENT DRAFT OF THE SPEECH RISKS MAKING THE PRESENTATION AND NEGOTIATION OF THE WHOLE PACKAGE OF 1995 ELECTORAL MEASURES MORE DIFFICULT.
OUR DOUBTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
ALTHOUGH 30 SEATS WAS THE ORIGINAL OMELCO CONSENSUS (WHICH BROKE DOWN AT THE RECENT LEGCO DEBATE), HMG HAVE NEVER BEEN COMMITTED TO SEEKING A PRECISE FIGURE, AND CERTAINLY NOT ONE AS HIGH AS THAT. AS YOU KNOW, THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S PUBLIC COMMITMENT IS AT LEAST 20 (20)''. IT SEEMS TO US THAT TO MAKE PUBLIC A PRECISE QUANTIFICATION OF THIS KIND WILL MAKE THE CLIMB-DOWN WHEN IT COMES EVEN MORE APPARENT. THIS IS OF COURSE A JUDGEMENT THAT MINISTERS WILL WISH TO MAKE, BUT BY COMMITTING THEM TO SO SPECIFIC A TARGET, WILL IT NOT MAKE THE POLITICAL HANDLING OF OUR OVERALL APPROACH, AND OF THE WHOLE PACKAGE
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