TNAG-2715-FCO40-3921-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 83

WISHING TO OFFEND ANYBODY, BUT WE IN BRITAIN CAN ALGO BE OFFENDED AND WE ARE OFFENDED WHEN WE SEE HUMAN RIGHTS BEING TRAMPLED ON AND WE WERE QUITE CLEAR IN OUR ATTITUDE WHEN WE MET THE MINISTER · OF JUSTICE. I CANNOT SAY THAT WE HAD ANY ANSWER THAT WAS SATISFACTORY TO ME IN RECPONGE. I THINK THEY NOTED OUR COMMENTS. I ONLY HOPE THAT THEY WILL REALISE THAT IF CHINA IS TO PLAY ITS FULL PART, NOT JUST IN THE WORLD MARKET ECONOMY BUT ALSO IN THE COMMUNITY OF NATIONS, THEN IT WILL HAVE TO HAVE FULL RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. I THINK WE HAVE MADE THAT, PERFECTLY CLEAR BUT AS I SAY, I CAN'T SAY THAT I HAVE AT THIS JUNCTURE ANY RECOLLECTION OF A POSITIVE RESPONSE.

MR CANAVAN:

COULD I JUST ADD BRIEFLY TO THAT. I ENDORSE EVERYTHING THAT MY COLLEAGUE BOB WAREING HAS SAID BUT WE ALSO GAVE THE MINISTER FOR JUSTICE A LIST OF 102 NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO HAD ALLEGEDLY BEEN, PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND WE ALSO PUT BLUNTLY TO HIM THE CONCERNS OF THE PEOPLE HERE IN HONG KONG ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES AND THE FACT THAT THE BEST PRESERVER OF HUMAN RIGHTS FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WOULD BE A STRONG SYSTEM OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS WITHIN HONG KONG,

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CAN I JUST SAY THAT THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE DID AGREE THAT HE WOULD LOOK AT THIS LIST THAT MR CANAVAN GAVE, AND HE DID AGREE THAT HE WOULD WRITE TO ALL OF US WITH THE RESPONSE, HAVING LOOKED INTO THEM.

QUESTION

MR CANAVAN:

(INAUDIBLE}

AN ORGANISATION CALLED 'JUBILEE', WAS IT? JUBILEE CAMPAIGN, YES.

QUESTION:

I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE FIRST QUESTION TO MR SUMBERG, THAT GIVEN CHINA'S RIGID AND NEGATIVE STANCE, DON'T YOU THINK THAT WE SHOULD NOW CALL IT QUITS IN THE TALKS AND JUST LET IT GO AND EVERYBODY DO IT ALONE?

AND THE SECOND QUESTION, TO MR HOWELL, IS THAT I UNDERSTAND YOU WON'T FINISH WITH YOUR ENQUIRIES AND YOUR CONCLUSIONS UNTIL EARLY 1994. DURING YOUR TRIP TO HONG KONG YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD MANY TIMES THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE WANT AN AGREEMENT AND TOLD THE DIFFERENCES AND WHAT THE DISPUTE IS ALL ABOUT, BUT IF YOU WON'T FINISH YOUR CONCLUSIONS UNTIL 1994, BY THAT TIME THE TALKS MIGHT WELL HAVE BROKEN DOWN OR SUCCEEDED, SO WHAT IS THE POINT OF YOUR VISIT? HOW COULD YOU HELP THIS DISPUTE, YOU KNOW, RESOLVE THIS DISPUTE, IF YOU WON'T COME TO ANY CONCLUSION

MR HOWELL:

WELL, LET ME ANSWER BOTH THOSE QUESTIONS. ON THE SECOND ONE WHICH YOU PUT TO MR SUMBERG BUT I KNOW HE WOULD SAY THAT YOU'RE ASKING AGAIN THAT WE SHOULD BE INVOLVED AND MADE PRIVY TO THE NEGOTIATING STANCES. THAT IS NOT THE WAY THINGS WORK, AS MR JOPLING HAS VIVIDLY DESCRIBED. SO WE CERTAINLY WOULD NOT EXPECT, IF THERE WERE TO BE MOVEMENT OR SOMETHING WAS PLANNED ON

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