TNAG-2734-FCO40-3942-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislative-Council-(LEGCO)-1993 — Page 154

1

GOVERMENT HOUSE HONG KONG.

WED 03 MAR 93 07:39

PG.01

Discussions with the Chinese:

Draft Supplementary Û & A Bricfing

01.

You've let three Fridays go past.

This is the

fourth. Why did you not go ahead and gazette?

A1.

The community would expect us to make every effort to reach an agreement on talks and to ensure that they got off to the best possible start.

We hope that agreement is close at hand hence our decision to postpone yazettal for the time being.

wo have not however agreed to delay gasettal indefinitely.

session.

Legislation needs to be passed this

Q2.

A2.

When will you gazette?

We shall have to take a judgement on that when we yee whother and how talks procecd. But clearly

LegCo will need sufficient time to consider the

draft legislation so that it can be enacted within

the current session.

Q3.

A3.

Why have you risked the prospect of talks by making this public announcement in the middle of diplomatic exchanges?

I made a clear undertaking to give an explanation to the community of why we had decided to postpone

They are entitled to this and I am making, this statement today as promizod.

SECRE