TNAG-2714-FCO40-3920-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 6

14-JUL-1993 14:33

Gallagher

TRANSCRIPT MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD

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SELECT COMMITTEE 14 JULY 93

Since the memorandum was written we have succeeded in holding

talks with the Chinese side on these issues. They began in late

April, there have so far been 7 rounds of talks, led on our side

by Sir Robin McLaren and including senior representatives of the

Hong Kong government.

Our central requirements are firstly elections which are fair,

open and acceptable to the people of Hong Kong; and secondly,

objective criteria for determining eligibility of members of the

Legislative Council elected in 1995 to serve through until 1999,

the so-called through train. Progress has so far been slow,

slower than we would wish, but at a meeting with Ministerial

colleagues here on 1 July the Governor proposed that enough of the

groundwork had been done to make it worth the Foreign Secretary

visiting Peking. He did so on 8 9 July. His aim was not to

W

negotiate but to focus the negotiations on the essential points

and emphasise the need for rapid progress.

The talks were useful

in clarifying how we should proceed. The negotiators have been

asked to make progress as rapidly as they can and the Foreign

Secretary will meet his Chinese counterpart again to review

progress in September.

Britain has the responsibility to make the

practical arrangements for the elections to the District Boards in

1994 and to Municipal Council and Legislative Council in 1995. We

have not set a deadline, we want to give the talks every chance of

success, but we do not have unlimited time to bring them to a

successful conclusion.