TNAG-2708-FCO40-3914-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 32

VERMENT, HOUSE HONG KONG.

FRI 12 MAR 93 06:50

PG.04

RESTRICTED

3

recent

Let me recap briefly the history of our

so Honourable Members

exchanges with the Chinese side,

can be clear in their own minds how matters have

proceeded. As I indicated in my statement last week, having received a positive response on the principle of talks from the Chinese side, I decided to postpone our original plan for gazettal on 12 February, while making clear to the Chinese side that there could not be an indefinite delay, given the practical need to press ahead with legislation. We proposed an early starting date for

the talks.

Despite the absence of a solution to the

remaining difficulties, I decided, with the advice of Executive Council, to delay gazettal for a second time on

Last week, 19 February and a third time on 26 February.

I told the Council of our decision to delay gazettal for

a fourth time.

I explained to the Council that we wished to go the extra mile and give the Chinese side every opportunity to respond. Today is the fifth Friday since we originally decided to defer gazettal. Unfortunately the outstanding differences have not been resolved and we still have no date for talks. I have to tell the Council

that we have not even been able to obtain agreement,

after all this time, that an announcement about talks could be made early next week. I have made clear that we could not go on deferring gazettal indefinitely. Having deferred gazettal on four occasions, I have therefore decided, with the advice of the Executive Council, to gazette the draft legislation this afternoon. Having taken this decision, we will have to judge, in the light of subsequent developments, when to introduce the draft legislation into the Legislative

Council.

3