find acceptable.
The (imal Plenary meeting of the Basic Law Crafting
has been taking place in Peking this week.
zcecing has not yet finished and tha cutcome is not
yet certain. We shall wish to study carefully tha draft which emerges from this meeting. There are, however, Indications that the draft will provide for 20
actly elected seats in 1997 and for further
increnu to 24 geats in 1399 and 20 seats in 2003. This late of progress would not be as rapid as many people in Hong Kong, or ve ourselves, would have liked
we
to seo. But it would be a considerable improvement on the position reached in December. It would reflect a villingness by the Basic Law drafters to respond to the representations which we and othafs in Hong Kong have baan making.
wa are following closely the recommendations which are emerging from the Planary meeting on other issues of importance to Hong Kong. The key issues are voting procedures; the composition and constitution of the Grand Electoral College which is to return a proportion of the members of the legislature: and restrictions on the nationality of members of the post-1997
legislature.
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