CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2429
OF 011105Z OCTOBER 92
AND TO PRIORITY PEKING
INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG
MWB 017/7
P.C.R. Constit
ج
بنادر
R. (Presult)
077157
MDHIAN 1458
距
PERSONAL FOR RICKETTS, HKD FROM GOVERNOR.
CALL BY THE RT. HON. PADDY ASHDOWN MP: 1 OCTOBER.
1. PADDY ASHDOWN CALLED ON ME TODAY, DURING A PRIVATE VISIT TO HONG KONG. I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRIEF HIM, ON PRIVY COUNCILLOR TERMS, ON THE PROPOSALS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXCO AND LEGCO AND THE 1995 ELECTIONS THAT I WILL BE SETTING OUT IN MY LEGCO ADDRESS ON 7 OCTOBER.
2. MR. ASHDOWN HIMSELF PUT FORWARD SIMILAR THOUGHTS ON MANY ASPECTS OF THE 1995 ELECTIONS, INCLUDING THE IDEA OF USING ELECTED DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS AS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE, IN A PUBLIC SPEECH YESTERDAY (30 SEPTEMBER). NOT SURPRISINGLY, HE SAID HE THOUGHT THAT MOST OF THE PROPOSALS IN MY LEGCO ADDRESS WOULD BE BROADLY WELCOMED BY THE LIBERALS, EXCEPT FOR THE IDEA OF SEPARATING EXCO AND LEGCO. THIS WOULD BE SEEN BY MANY AS ACCEPTING A CHINESE VETO ON APPOINTMENTS TO EXCO. BUT HE SAID THAT HE WOULD THINK FURTHER ABOUT THE JUSTIFICATION THAT I HAD PUT FORWARD FOR SEPARATING THE TWO COUNCILS. HE THOUGHT THAT OVERALL MY PACKAGE WAS A GOOD ONE, AND WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IT.
3. MY ASSESSMENT IS THAT HE WILL BE PUBLICLY CRITICAL ABOUT THE FACT THAT I WILL NOT BE APPOINTING MARTIN LEE TO EXCO, BUT NOT IN TOO VIGOROUS TERMS. HE IS LIKELY TO SUPPORT STRONGLY THE PROPOSALS FOR 1995.
4. MR. ASHDOWN ASKED WHETHER IT WAS INTENDED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON THE PROPOSALS IN MY SPEECH. I SAID THAT I DID NOT KNOW WHETHER THIS WAS PLANNED. BUT I WOULD CERTAINLY WELCOME A DEBATE IF ONE TOOK PLACE.
5. MR. ASHDOWN ALSO RAISED BRIEFLY THE POTENTIAL STATELESSNESS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES, THE RIGHT OF ABODE FOR EXPATRIATES LIVING IN
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CONFIDENTIAL
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