32-OCT-1992 18:49
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS BP
+ 352 640 1976
P.02
I
Wen Wei Po (27 October 1992) Extract of Article
Translation
of
LU Ping said: We are now in a position responding only after the other side has struck. We have exercised the utmost restraint towards Mr. Chris Patten's policy address. I have not said a word since the delivery of his policy address. The Hong Kong reporters chased me and besieged me day after day, asking me for comments on the policy address. Still I did not say a word all along. just waited patiently. Of course, before the delivery of the policy address, I sent him a letter privately relaying our views to him, hoping that he would take them into consideration. But he, upon receipt of the letter, would not consider our views at all and would accept none of them.
But I still waited patiently for him to come to Beijing when we could talk face to face and see if he would accept our views. I told him in the letter that by acting this way, he was bringing our differences into the open. He keeps saying that he was against "megaphone diplomacy" but he was engaging in "megaphone diplomacy" and tried to trigger off an open war of words. If he did not consider our views and still went his own ways, I am obliged to
follow. reasoning.
On our part, we have left confrontation after 1?
T+
We have made it clear beforehand. I have waicea patiently for nim to come to Beijing. It had been over half વે month. At that time the 14th Party Congress was being held and many Hong Kong reporters asked me several times to give comments. I still did not say a wond
When ho smo afterwonyde, tan mat for six hours, was I who did most of the talking. I discussed with him each individual subjecte patiently and calmly. I presented the facts and tried to reason things out. He would not listen. After each session, he gave off the record briefing to reporters. I had never said anything in public from the beginning to the end. We had exercised the utmost self-restraint. At last,
he had left and I have to come
out to say something.
LU Ping pointed out: We are not weak. We just don't want to trigger off a public war of words. Now he has us cornered and we have no choice but to act. I can tell
this: you
we have made up our mind that if this is what Mr. Patten wants, we will be obliged to follow and follow till the end. Having said that, the ball is now in Mr. Patten's court. If he plays according to the rules, things will be OK, we'll all play by the rules. The Basic Law is the "rule of the game". If he doesn't, we will also follow suit. Let's see what will happen at the end.
B33-1530wW
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