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กา 67
MDLIA 6502
PROPOSALS. TIN TIN DAILY NEWS IN A REPORT FILED FROM LONDON SAID TO CIRCUMVENT THE DEADLOCK OVER THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS, THE FUTURE TALKS MIGHT ONLY TOUCH ON 'ISSUES RELATING TO THE TRANSITION'. THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING BOTH SIDES' STAND HAD NOT CHANGED AND THE MAIN OBSTACLE WAS THE ROLE TO BE PLAYED BY LEGCO IN THE PROCESS OF NEGOTIATIONS. THE BRITISH SIDE INSISTED THAT LEGCO SHOULD PARTICIPATE ON DECIDING HK'S FUTURE CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR BOTH SIDES TO REACH AN AGREEMENT AND FORCE LEGCO TO ACCEPT IT. OTHERWISE THERE WOULD BE A REPEAT OF THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL SCENARIO. IN ADDITION, THE BRITISH SIDE INSISTED REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE HKG SHOULD TAKE PART. CHINESE SOURCES INDICATED THE GOVERNOR HAD THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THE DECISION MADE BY THE EXECUTIVE-LED GOVERNMENT HAD THE SUPPORT OF LEGCO. AS REGARDS PARTICIPATION BY HKG OFFICIALS IN THE TALKS, THE CHINESE SOURCES INDICATED THE HKG WAS AN ORGANISATION UNDER THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, THEREFORE THE QUESTION OF INDEPENDENT REPRESENTATIVES SHOULD NOT EXIST. SING TAO DAILY QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING THE SUDDEN ENTHUSIASM OF THE BRITISH SIDE FOR RESUMPTION OF TALKS WAS BECAUSE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD READJUSTED ITS POLICY TOWARDS HK. THE INFORMATION CO-ORDINATOR, MIKE HANSON, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING AT THIS STAGE ANY REPORTS CONCERNING THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS WERE SPECULATIVE. MR HANSON STRESSED ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS IN 1994/95 SHOULD HAVE THE SUPPORT OF LEGCO AND THE CONFIDENCE OF THE PUBLIC.
4. THE PAPERS NOTED (23.2) PROMINENTLY LU PING REPORTEDLY GAVE A 'NO' IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION ON WHETHER TALKS WERE LIKELY IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THE REPORTED REMARKS ORIGINATED FROM AN ATV NEWS ITEM THE DAY BEFORE. LU'S DEPUTY, WANG QIREN TOLD REPORTERS THEY SHOULD BE PATIENT AND WAIT AND SEE. MING PAO AND WEN WEI PO CARRIED A REPORT ON LU'S DENIAL OF THE ATV STORY. MR LU TOLD MING PAO AT THE PRESENT STAGE HE DID NOT WISH TO COMMENT ON THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS. THE PAPER QUOTED THE ATV REPORTER COVERING THE EVENT AS SAYING WHILE LU HAD DECLINED TO COMMENT IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA, HE HAD SAID 'NO' WHEN ASKED OFF CAMERA ON WHETHER TALKS WOULD RE-OPEN SHORTLY. WEN WEI PO SAID MR LU HAD DECLINED TO COMMENT AND THE ATV REPORT WAS A FABRICATION. TIN TIN DAILY QUOTED A SOURCE AS SAYING THE CHINESE SIDE MIGHT RESUME TALKS NEXT MONTH WHICH WOULD MAKE IT NOT POSSIBLE FOR THE BRITISH SIDE TO SUBMIT THE POLITICAL PROPOSALS TO LEGCO WITHIN THIS MONTH AS SCHEDULED. REPORTS ALSO NOTED THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO PEKING SIR ROBIN MCLAREN INDICATED BOTH SIDES WERE CONTINUING CONTACTS AND THERE WAS NO ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE AT THE PRESENT STAGE. SIR
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