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about a third of his original proposal of 2.7 million with electors. voting individually, and the setting up of a four-sector Election Committee of the kind set out in the BL with members of the Committee themselves to have been elected. The Governor however stressed an overall agreement on the electoral arrangements should include an agreement on objective criteria of the through train.
8.
The Governor, in a press conference, said he was not setting a deadline for the talks because he did not think that was very helpful in a negotiation but a decision would have to be made some time. The Governor said he would go to London in November for a Cabinet Committee meeting to discuss progress in the talks. He hoped the discussions in October would enable him to progress had been made. The Governor also stressed the counter proposals by the British side were conditional on an overall agreement which was acceptable, including agreed objective criteria for the through train.
9. A number of papers quoted sources (7.10) as saying the concessions made by the British side during the talks in July and August were already close to the bottom line. The sources reiterated the need for objective criteria for the through train, saying there would be no agreement without it.
10.
Papers (7.10) carried a CNS dispatch saying the Governor was trying to set a deadline for the talks and continued to sell his reform package. A NCNA HK Branch dispatch pointed out the Governor indicated in his address that there were only a few weeks left for further talks. This raised doubt about his sincerity to reach an agreement with the Chinese.
11.
The papers (8.10) gave prominent coverage to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wu Jianmin's remarks on the section on constitutional development in the Governor's policy address.
Wu was quoted as saying there remained a large gap between the British position and the three principles China and Britain had agreed upon. Wu regretted the British side had continued to hold such a position after 12 rounds of talks.
12 rounds of talks. Wu said the dispute was not whether or not there should be democracy, but whether one should honour one's words and the key to the conclusion of the talks was the compliance with the "three conformities". In reply to a question on the Governor's remarks that the talks had to be concluded within weeks, Wu said any remarks or action which were not helpful to the talks were unacceptable to the Chinese side.
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