TNAG-2451-FCO40-3568-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1992 — Page 128

SECRET

SECRET

1859

105505

MDHIAN 1871

FM PEKING

TO DESKBY 05093OZ HONG KONG

TELNO 128

OF 050848Z OCTOBER 92

INFO DESKBY 05093OZ FCO

INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG

Math 017/2

Лю

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM AMBASSADOR

FCO PERSONAL FOR RICKETTS, HKD

UKREP JLG PERSONAL FOR GALSWORTHY

NEW EXCO APPOINTMENTS

1.

IN THE

I NOTE FROM THIS THAT YOU NEW EXCO ON 7 OCTOBER.

I HAVE JUST READ THE FULL TEXT OF YOUR LEGCO ADDRESS COPY BROUGHT UP BY JANET ROGAN TODAY. INTEND TO ANNOUNCE THE MEMBERS OF THE

2. YOU WILL RECALL THAT YOUR FIRST MESSAGE TO LU PING ABOUT THE CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED IN YOUR LEGCO SPEECH INCLUDED A STATEMENT THAT THE NEW EXCO APPOINTMENTS WOULD 'INCLUDE SOME WHO ARE PARTICULARLY RESPECTED BY CHINA' AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IF I WERE AUTHORISED TO PASS ON A LIST OF THE NEW APPOINTMENTS IN STRICT CONFIDENCE AT THE SAME TIME AS I HAND OVER YOUR LATEST MESSAGE AND THE TEXT OF YOUR SPEECH.

3.

=

WITHOUT KNOWING THE NAMES I CANNOT JUDGE WHETHER ANY OF THE APPOINTMENTS WILL IN FACT BE WELCOMED BY THE CHINESE BUT THEY SHOULD APPRECIATE BEING GIVEN 24 HOURS NOTICE OF THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT. THERE ARE PRECEDENTS FOR DOING THIS, MOST RECENTLY IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR, WHEN YOUR PREDECESSOR SENT A PERSONAL MESSAGE TO LU PING ABOUT NEW APPOINTMENTS VERY SHORTLY BEFORE THEY WERE ANNOUNCED CHONG KONG TELNOS 3319 - 3321 AND MY TELNO 1800 OF 1991).

MCLAREN

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