TNAG-2719-FCO40-3925-Hong-Kong-electoral-provisions-and-arrangements-1993 — Page 87

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SECRET

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

2 November 1993

BY FAX

HKCD ON 17

011

1993

ISTRY

GISTRY

Rodion Taken

London SWIA 2AH

Telephone: 071-

۱۱۹)

Nigel Cox Esq British Embassy PEKING

Dear Nized.

TALKS ON 1994/95 ELECTIONS:

DRAFT MOU

1. By the time you read this, you should have received the telegrams of instructions to the Ambassador. As you will see, we took in all the amendments suggested from Hong Kong, and all but one of those in your letter of 2 November.

2.

I thought that I should record the exchanges I had with Hong Kong on the suggestion in the second half of your paragraph 3. On receipt of your letter, Peter Lai telephoned us to say that CAB had difficulty with your amendment. While understanding your point about an apparent erosion of the SAR's autonomy, they thought that your wording fell into the more serious trap of associating us by implication with the view that it would be for the SAR to determine the number of appointed members after 1997. They were concerned that this would be interpreted in Hong Kong as conceding the principle that there would be a number above zero of appointed members. I asked Peter Lai to check this more widely in HKG. I also consulted our Legal Advisers and David Edwards, both of whom shared the Hong Kong doubts. Peter Lai subsequently confirmed that others in Hong Kong also share CAB's view.

3. We therefore decided to retain the phrase, but to modify this to say "The Chinese side pointed out..." to avoid the flavour of gracious concession by Jiang Enzhu to which you

refer.

n

PF Ricketts

ever,

Dabe

HONG KONG DEPARTMENT

CC:

Peter Lai Esq

Deputy Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

HONG KONG

SECRET