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042533 MDLIAN 1828
17. A CHINESE SIDE MEMBER OF THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE CHEN KEQIANG (5.5) EXPRESSED HOPE THAT THE BRITISH SIDE COULD TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND PUT FORWARD A FINANCING PACKAGE CONSISTENT WITH THE MOU.
18.
REMARKS BY CHEN ZOU'ER OF THE HKMAO IN A MEETING WITH AN ADPL DELEGATION TO PEKING WERE NOTED (6.5). MR CHEN WAS QUOTED BY ADPL'S LEUNG KWONG-CHEONG AS SAYING THAT WHILE THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT AGREE TO INJECT THE LAND FUND INTO THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT THEY COULD CONSIDER USING PART OF THE LAND FUND AS A LOAN TO THE PAA. MR CHEN ALSO STRESSED IN DECIDING ON THE FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS, THE SIZE OF THE EXCHANGE FUND, FISCAL RESERVES, THE LAND FUND AND THE AMOUNT OF GOVERNMENT LOANS BY 1997 HAD TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. HOWEVER, TIN TIN DAILY NEWS NOTED (7.5) A RELEASE BY THE CHINA NEWS SERVICE ON THE MEETING DID NOT MENTION CHINA WOULD BE WILLING TO CONSIDER ADPL'S SUGGESTION OF A LOAN BY THE LAND FUND FOR THE AIRPORT PROJECT.
LAND COMMISSION
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A LAND COMMISSION MEETING WAS WIDELY NOTED (6.5). NCNA HK CHIEF ZHOU NAN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING CHINA SUPPORTED AN EARLY RESUMPTION OF THE LC MEETING BECAUSE THEY WERE CONSISTENTLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE LIVELIHOOD AND INTERESTS OF HK PEOPLE. MR ZHOU HOWEVER DECLINED TO COMMENT ON WHETHER THE LC MEETING INDICATED IMPROVEMENT IN SINO-BRITISH RELATIONSHIP. THE PAPERS NOTED (8.5) NO CONCLUSION WAS REACHED IN THE LC MEETING AND AN EXTRA DAY WAS REQUIRED. IT WAS NOTED BOTH THE CHINESE AND BRITISH TEAM LEADERS DECLINED TO DISCLOSE THE CONTENTS OF THE MEETING AND ONLY SAID THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO FINISH THE DISCUSSION AND THE MEETING HAD TO CONTINUE ON TUESDAY THE FOLLOWING WEEK. MOST REPORTS NOTED IT WAS RARE THAT LC MEETINGS COULD NOT BE COMPLETED WITHIN ONE DAY, BUT THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE MEETING APPEARED TO BE GOOD.
LU PING
20. THE MEETING BETWEEN LU PING AND ADPL WAS WIDELY REPORTED (6.5). MR LU WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS OF TALKS HAD NOT GOT DOWN TO DETAILS AND FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS WOULD CENTRE ON FOUR AREAS (1) THE 'THROUGH TRAIN' (2) ARRANGEMENTS FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS, (3) ARRANGEMENTS FOR FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS AND (4) THE ELECTION COMMITTEE. HOWEVER, A WEN WEI PO REPORT ON THE MEETING DID NOT MENTION THESE FOUR POINTS AT ALL, BUT NOTED LU'S REMARKS THAT THE CHINESE WOULD LISTEN TO HK VIEWS ON THE
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