TNAG-2718-FCO40-3924-Hong-Kong-electoral-provisions-and-arrangements-1993 — Page 104

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134752

MDHIAN 703

BASIS OF THE JD. WEN WEI PO IN ITS LEADER WARNED THAT RECENT

EVENTS WOULD START ANOTHER ROUND OF MEGAPHONE DIPLOMACY WHICH WAS

NOT CONDUCIVE TO HK'S STABILITY. TA KUNG PAO CRITICISED THAT THE

BRITISH SIDE WERE BENT ON CREATING A THREE-LEGGED STOOL.

5. QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES, THE UNITED DAILY NOTED THAT THE STRATEGY TO SEPARATE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES WAS CONTAINED

IN A REPORT APPROVED BY CHINESE LEADERS JIANG ZEMIN AND ZHU

RONGJI. THE PRINCIPLE WAS TO FACILITATE ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN HK'S STABILITY AND TO GAIN SUPPORT OF THE HK

PEOPLE. THE SOURCES ADDED THAT TECHNICAL DETAILS CONCERNING

FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT THE FIFTH ROUND OF TALKS. THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD

PRESS THE BRITISH SIDE TO RESTRAIN HKG AND LEGCO. IT WAS WARNED THAT IF THE BRITISH SIDE FAILED TO GIVE SUCH A COMMITMENT, THE FIFTH ROUND OF TALKS MIGHT HIT SNAGS.

MR GOODLAD

6. A PROMINENT COMMENTARY IN WEN WEI PO CRITICISED MR GOODLAD'S

EARLIER STATEMENT THAT ANY EVENTUAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO

SIDES SHOULD BE RECORDED AS A MOU RATHER THAN AN AGREEMENT

BREACHED THE RULE OF CONFIDENTIALITY OF DIPLOMATIC DISCUSSIONS.

REFERRING TO THE BRITISH SIDE'S POSITION THAT THE SEVEN SETS OF

DIPLOMATIC LETTERS PREVIOUSLY EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES DID NOT CONSTITUTE QUOTE AN AGREEMENT UNQUOTE, THE BRITISH SIDE AGAIN PLAYED TRICKS ON THE CONCEPTS OF A MOU AND AN AGREEMENT. HIS

REMARKS THAT LEGCO COULD AMEND ANY UNDERSTANDING REACHED BETWEEN THE TWO GOVERNMENTS WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND WOULD POSE OBSTACLES TO

THE CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS.

AIRPORT

7.

THE SUNDAY PAPERS QUOTED ZHANG JUNSHENG AS SAYING THAT ALTHOUGH THE BRITISH SIDE HAD TABLED A NEW FINANCIAL PROPOSAL, THE BALL WAS STILL IN THE BRITISH COURT. THE IMPORTANT THING WAS

TO ABIDE BY THE AIRPORT MOU.

8. MING PAO QUOTED HKG SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE BRITISH SIDE

HAD INFORMED THE CHINESE SIDE AT LAST WEEK'S AC MEETING THAT IF A

DECISION COULD NOT BE MADE ON THE AIRPORT RAILWAY, PHASE I OF THE CENTRAL/WAN CHAI RECLAMATION PROJECT, THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING AND THE AVIATION MONITORING EQUIPMENT, THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT COULD NOT BE COMPLETED BY 1997.

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