TNAG-2713-FCO40-3919-Parliamentary-relations-draft-White-Paper-on-Representative--1993 — Page 82

GOVER

NT HOUSE HONG KONG.

THU 25 NOV 93 16:13

PG.02

SECRET

香港總督府

SECRET

BY FAX

Peter Ricketts Esq.

Dean Peter,

GOVERNMENT HOUSE

HONG KONG

25 November 1993

1 UKB 011

10/1

pa. Write Paper

White Paper

Many thanks for your latest update of the White Paper. Everybody here agrees that this covers the bases admirably. We have a few points to suggest; perhaps I could take these in order.

Secretary of State's introduction

1st page

second paragraph, penultimate sentence add: "and have made that clear to the Chinese side" after "issues".

4th page, middle paragraph, final sentence ("Without this element

issues"). We suggest this sentence, be deleted since the "urgent legislation" argument is not the most compelling argument in favour of pressing for the single-seat, single-vote method now, Instead we suggest ending the previous sentence after "Municipal Council elections", and then adding two new sentences as follows: "The Legislative Council had voted clearly in July 1992 that this method should apply to LegCo elections; and the leaders of the two main parties confirmed their support for it in November 1993.

There would

therefore have been no point in putting draft legislation to the Legislative Council which excluded this point given the likelihood that members would simply amend it to reflect their known views."

Main text

Para 14, 1st sentence: bracket missing at end of sentence.

SECRET

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