TNAG-2736-FCO40-3944-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislative-Council-(LEGCO)-1994 — Page 20

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1887

OF 160946Z DECEMBER 1993

CONFIDENTIAL

HKS <12/31

TOP COPY Q DIST ?/

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

p.a. leglo

161371

MDHIAN 247

129

HKB 12/3

Constitutional Development: First-stage Bill and Related LegCo Activities (15-16) December)

Summary

NCNA

First-stage Bill introduced into LegCo on 15 December. reacted with a relatively mild statement. LegCo raised related issues in Question Time, and during the Constitutional Development Panel meeting on 16 December. LegCo and community reaction contained, and we should be able to hold our position for the time being.

Details

First-stage Bill

2.

As planned, the Bill covering the first stage issues had its

In first and second reading in LegCo yesterday (15 December). moving the second reading SCA gave a dead-pen explanation of the content of the Bill, and simply referred to the Governor's statement at LegCo on 2 December for the reasons why we were introducing the Bill.

3. The Bill is now committed to the LegCo House committee which will meet on 17 December to decide on the setting up of a Bills Committee. Second reading cannot resume until 12.1.1994 at the earliest, when LegCo re-convenes, but in practice is more likely to be much later.

4. The NCNA Locally issued a statement last evening on the Bill's It said introduction, in terms milder than the worst we expected. that the formal tabling of the partial Bill at LegCo ''made clear that the British side had unilaterally terminated the Sino-British talks, creating artificial turmoils in the latter half of the transitional period in Hong Kong and obstacles in the smooth transition and transfer of sovereignty in 1997. The British Government must bear responsibility for all the resultant

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