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IT TODAY. THIS WAS BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO FIND A FORM OF WORDS WHICH WOULD LEAVE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL EASY WITH WHATEVER WAS DECIDED, BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE SOME TIME BETWEEN A DECISION AND GAZETTING, AND BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO LEAVE A FINAL WINDOW FOR CHINA TO PROPOSE DISCUSSIONS IF THEY WISHED TO.
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ON SUBSTANCE, I DOUBTED WHETHER WE WOULD SECURE ANY IMMEDIATE GAIN FROM CHINA BY AMENDING THE PACKAGE. WE WOULD CERTAINLY LOSE CREDIBILITY WITH THE LIBERALS IN LEGCO AND THAT WOULD REDUCE THE CHANCES OF OUR GETTING A REASONABLE PACKAGE AT THE END OF THE DAY. ALL OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL INDEPENDENTS IN LEGCO WANTED MY PROPOSALS PUT IN AS THEY WERE. BUT THIS DID NOT MEAN THAT EXCO WOULD HAVE NO FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK AT THE LEGISLATION. THEY WOULD NEED FOR EXAMPLE TO CONSIDER WHETHER PARTICULAR AMENDMENTS WHICH EMERGED IN LEGCO WERE ACCEPTABLE, HOW THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SPEAK ON A PARTICULAR AMENDMENTS AND HOW OFFICIAL MEMBERS SHOULD VOTE.
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THIS IS A COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
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