TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 132

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MDHIAN 6557

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ORIENTAL DAILY QUOTED THE IC AS EXPRESSING SURPRISE ON 25 JUNE

IN RESPECT OF REPEATED CHINESE BREACHES OF THE RULE OF CONFIDENTIALITY, WHICH THEY THEMSELVES HAD PROPOSED. HE SAID THAT DESPITE SUCH LEAKS, THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD CONTINUE TO ABIDE BY THE CONFIDENTIALITY RULE SO THAT THE TALKS COULD CONTINUE.

PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE.

5.

ACCORDING TO THE PAPERS, WHEN RECEIVING THE MEETING POINT DELEGATION, NPC VICE-CHAIRMAN, WANG HANBIN HAD EXPLAINED THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE A FIXED NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. THE NPC/SC MIGHT IN ACCORDANCE WITH NEEDS INCLUDE ADDITIONAL MEMBERS AFTER THE COMMITTEE HAD BEEN SET UP. WANG WAS ALSO QUOTED TO HAVE AGREED WITH THE DELEGATION'S SUGGESTION THAT AFTER 1997, HONG KONG NPC DELEGATES SHOULD BE RETURNED BY ELECTIONS. THE MATTER SHOULD BE DETERMINED BEFORE THE TRANSITION. IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE NPC MEETING IN MARCH 1997 WOULD DECIDE ON THE MATTER.

JLG.

6.

A NUMBER OF PAPERS CARRIED UKREP JLG'S INTERVIEW WITH ATV ON 25 JUNE. MR GALSWORTHY WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT LINKAGE WITH POLITICAL ISSUES HAD DELAYED THE WORK OF THE JLG. HE WAS REPORTED AS ADMITTING THAT THE CHINESE HAD A DE FACTO VETO POWER OVER HONG KONG AFFAIRS. SOME PAPERS NOTED THE UKREP JLG SAID IT WAS A LIE THAT INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION HAD BEEN PROVIDED TO THE CHINESE SIDE. HE STRESSED THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE VICTIMS IF THE WORK OF THE JLG WAS STALLED.

PATTEN

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

65

.HK POLICY

HKD

PUSD

FED

LEGAL ADVISERS//MS BARRETT

DISTRIBUTION

72

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PS

PS/MR GOODLAD

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