TNAG-2734-FCO40-3942-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislative-Council-(LEGCO)-1993 — Page 135

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5. ZHANG ADDED THAT WHAT LI PENG HAD SAID WAS CLEAR :. THE CHINESE WERE WILLING TO TALK ON THE BASIS OF THE THREE COMPLIANCES. THIS DID NOT HOWEVER MEAN THAT THE TALKS WOULD CERTAINLY BE RE-OPENED. ZHANG SAID THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SAY NOW WHETHER TALKS WOULD RE-START.

ZHANG JUNSHENG

6.

IN RESPONSE TO PRESS QUESTIONS, NCNA VICE DIRECTOR ZHANG JUNSHENG SAID THAT THE CHINESE PRINCIPLED POSITION HAD NOT CHANGED. HE WELCOMED BRITISH WILLINGNESS TO 'RETURN TO THE TRACK OF CONSULTATION': BUT SAID THAT SUCH CONSULTATION SHOULD BE CONDUCTED ON THE BASIS OF THE JD, CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL AND 'UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN

CHANNELS.'

THROUGH DIPLOMATIC

7.

ZHANG JUNSHENG REHEARSED THAT THE CONSULTATION WOULD BE BETWEEN THE CHINESE AND BRITISH GOVERNMENT. THE CONSULTATION WOULD NOT BE CONDUCTED WITH THE BRITISH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. BUT THE LATTER SHOULD ENSURE THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY AGREEMENT: IT MUST NOT BE FOR LEGCO TO VETO SUCH AGREEMENT. ZHANG ADDED THAT THE CFA DEBATE HAD EXACTLY SHOWN BRITISH FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT FULLY SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT: THIS WAS AGAINST THE

JD.

COMMENTARIES/EDITORIALS IN LEFT WING PAPERS

8.

NEITHER TA KUNG PAO NOR WEN WEI PO COMMENTED EDITORIALLY ON THE STATEMENT TODAY. BUT ONE ARTICLE IN TA KUNG SAID THAT THE GOVERNOR HAD EVENTUALLY GOT IT RIGHT BY SAYING THAT IN ADDITION TO BEING OPEN, FAIR AND ACCEPTABLE TO HK PEOPLE, THE FUTURE POLITICAL SYSTEM HAD TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO BOTH CHINA AND BRITAIN: AND THAT THE PRESENT AND FUTURE SOVEREIGNS WOULD NOT HOPE TO SEE AN AGREEMENT NOT ACCEPTABLE TO LEGCO AND HK PEOPLE. IN ADDITION TA KUNG PAO'S LEAD STORY WAS THAT THE GOVERNOR PINNED HOPES ON FUTURE TALKS. WEN WEI PO'S LEAD STORY NOTED THAT THE GOVERNOR HOPED THE TWO SIDES WOULD RESUME TALKS SHORTLY AND THAT HE WAS WILLING TO USE THE 'THREE CONFORMITIES' AS A BASIS FOR THE TALKS.

9. HK COMMERCIAL DAILY IN ITS EDITORIAL BELIEVED THAT SOME OF THE OBSTACLES FOR THE TALKS HAD NOW BEEN REMOVED. REFERRING TO SIR EDWARD YOUDE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE TALKS PRECEDING THE JD, THE EDITORIAL WARNED THAT IF HKG INSISTED ON BEING REPRESENTED ON THE BRITISH DELEGATION, WE WOULD BE MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE OF AROUSING DIPLOMATIC CONTROVERSY.

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