TNAG-2713-FCO40-3919-Parliamentary-relations-draft-White-Paper-on-Representative--1993 — Page 44

Declaration and in the Joint Liaison Group.

20. The Hong Kong Government introduced into the Legislative

Council in February a Bill covering one aspect of the Governor's proposals: the establishment of a Boundaries and Election Commission. This was passed into law in July 1993. In early February Hong Kong's Executive Council also endorsed

draft legislation embodying the remainder of the Governor's proposals. Despite strong pressure from the community in Hong

Kong for the draft legislation to be published, the Hong Kong

Government held back publication for five weeks to give the

contacts between the British and Chinese sides the maximum

chance of success. But at the end of that time it had still

not been possible to agree on an acceptable basis for the

talks, or that they should start at an early date. The draft

legislation was therefore published on 12 March. But it was

not introduced into the Legislative Council. The publication

of the draft legislation was criticised publicly by the Chinese

side. However, on the basis of a further initiative from the

British side, contacts resumed between the British and Chinese

Governments on the holding of talks. Agreement was announced

on 13 April that the talks would be held on the basis of the

Joint Declaration, the principle of convergence with the Basic Law and the agreements and understandings previously reached.

21. The objective of Her Majesty's Government and the Hong

Kong Government in the talks was to establish whether an

understanding could be reached with the Chinese side on a set

of electoral arrangements which they could commend to the

Legislative Council in Hong Kong. These would need to

provide:

First, that the elections in 1994 and 1995 should be

fair, open and acceptable to the people of Hong Kong.

statement 26.8/BRIEFS/NJH

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