TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 25

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104066 MDHIAN 9957

4. QUOTING SOURCES CLOSE TO THE BRITISH SIDE, WAH KIU YAT PO SAID THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD BE WRONG IF THEY THOUGHT THAT S OF S'S VISIT TO CHINA WAS TO MAKE CONCESSIONS. THE PAPER REPORTED THAT THE TALKS HAD NOT BEEN MAKING MUCH PROGRESS BECAUSE THE BRITISH SIDE INSISTED ON TACKLING THE 'THROUGH TRAIN' QUESTION WHILE THE CHINESE WANTED TO SETTLE ISSUES RELATING TO FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND THE ELECTION COMMITTEE FIRST.

DB MERGER/BEC

5. THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMITTEE WAS GIVEN A GOOD RUN IN THE PAPERS. ORIENTAL DAILY QUOTED DAB'S CHENG KAI-NAM AS HOPING THAT THE SETTING UP OF THE COMMISSION WOULD NOT AFFECT THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS. NPC LOCAL DELEGATE LIU YIU- CHU CRITICISED HKG'S 'UNILATERAL ACTION' AND SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE NO GUARANTEE THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION WOULD BE ADOPTED BY THE CHINESE SIDE IN 1997.

CHINESE SIDE IN 1997.

6. TA KUNG PAO CRITICISED THE GOVERNOR FOR THE THREE 'FALSE STARTS' IN CONNECTION WITH HIS REFORM PACKAGE. THEY WERE THE MERGER OF THE YAU TSIM AND MONG KOK DISTRICTS, THE SETTING UP OF THE BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMISSION, AND THE CONFIRMATION THAT THE LEGCO SECRETARIAT WOULD BECOME INDEPENDENT NEXT YEAR. ON THE FIRST TWO ITEMS THE PAPER SAID THAT CHINA HAD ALREADY STATED THAT IT WOULD NOT RECOGNISE MATTER WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS WHICH HAD BEEN DONE WITHOUT ITS CONSENT. THE PAPER FURTHER SAID THAT THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE LEGCO SECRETARIAT WAS ANOTHER STEP IN THE SEPARATION OF EXCO AND LEGCO AS SUGGESTED IN THE GOVERNOR'S REFORM PACKAGE, THE AIM OF WHICH WAS TO STRENGTHEN LEGCO'S ROLE. THE PAPER POINTED OUT THAT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXCO-LEGCO RELATIONS WERE CONTRARY TO GOVERNOR'S INSISTENCE ON AN EXECUTIVE-LED GOVERNMENT WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED IN

HK.

7. WEN WEI PO CARRIED SIMILAR CRITICISM AND DESCRIBED THE MERGER OF THE TWO DISTRICTS AS ANOTHER EXAMPLE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE GOVERNOR WAS STILL INSISTING ON HIS 'THREE VIOLATIONS'. THE PAPER QUESTIONED THE BRITISH SIDE'S SINCERITY, SAYING THAT SUCH ACTIONS WERE ATTEMPTS TO DISTURB AND UNDERMINE THE TALKS.

PATTEN

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