UNCLASSIFIED
037334
MDLIAN 8507
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 364
OF 05110OZ MARCH 93
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
PART TWO OF TWO PARTS:
HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: 26.2
DOUGLAS HURD
5.3.
14. IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE SUNDAY POST (28.2), THE FOREIGN SECRETARY WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD MADE IT CLEAR ALL ALONG OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO IMPLEMENT THE JD IN FULL AND THEIR WILLINGNESS TO DISCUSS THE 1994/95 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE CHINESE SIDE. MR HURD SAID THE BRITISH SIDE CONTINUED TO HOPE THEY COULD REACH A SOLUTION ACCEPTABLE TO ALL SIDES, BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WOULD BE OPEN, FAIR AND ACCEPTABLE TO HK PEOPLE. THEY HOPED TO HOLD TALKS WITH CHINA TO SEE IF THEY COULD REACH AN UNDERSTANDING WHICH THEY COULD HONOURABLY RECOMMEND TO LEGCO WHO HAD THE CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO ENACT THE LEGISLATION. THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD STAND BY THE DECISION OF LEGCO.
CHINESE AUTHORITY HANDLING HK ISSUES
15. AN ARTICLE IN THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS (2.3) UNDERSTOOD THE CHINESE POLITBURO WAS THE BODY RESPONSIBLE IN DEALING WITH HK ISSUES SINCE THE RELEASE OF THE GOVERNOR'S REFORM PROPOSALS LAST OCTOBER. THE REPORTER SAID THE OUTSIDE IMPRESSION THAT THE CHINESE OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE WERE HKMAO DIRECTOR LU PING, NCNA HK DIRECTOR ZHOU NAN AND CHINESE JLG TEAM LEADER GUO FENGMIN WAS NOT CORRECT. IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THE BRITISH SIDE HAD ALSO BASED THEIR ASSESSMENT OF SITUATIONS ON THIS MISINFORMATION.
CPPCC REPORT
16. A WEN WEI PO PEKING REPORTING TEAM QUOTED AN AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE IN PEKING AS SAYING A GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT (CONSULTATIVE PAPER) TO BE SUBMITTED BY LI PENG TO THE CPPCC WOULD FOCUS ON HK ISSUES. THE REPORT CLAIMED THE GOVERNOR, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, HAD NOT HONOURED PREVIOUS AGREEMENTS AND HAD UNILATERALLY PROPOSED A REFORM PACKAGE WHICH
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