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MDLIAN
THE SOURCES, IT WAS HIGHLY POSSIBLE THAT THE TWO SIDES WOULD CIRCUMVENT THE CONTROVERSIAL REFORM PACKAGE PROPOSED BY THE GOVERNOR BY BASING THEIR DISCUSSIONS ON THE SEVEN DIPLOMATIC EXCHANGES IN 1990, WHEREIN THE PRINCIPLES OF CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL AND A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN DEALING WITH HK'S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT HAD BEEN SET DOWN. SING PAO REPORTED THERE COULD BE A BREAKTHROUGH OF THE DISPUTE AS BOTH SIDES HAD SOFTENED THEIR STAND. THE PAPER QUOTED BRITISH SOURCES AS SAYING THE BRITISH SIDE HAD RECENTLY VIA DIFFERENT CHANNELS INDICATED TO THE CHINESE SIDE THAT THEY HAD THE SINCERITY TO TALK. THE MOVE BY THE HKG TO POSTPONE THE GAZETTING OF THE BILLS LAST FRIDAY WAS A FRIENDLY GESTURE FORMING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS. KIU YAT PO LEARNED THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO PEKING, SIR ROBIN MCLAREN, AND LU PING, WERE HAVING COMMUNICATIONS ON HK'S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT ISSUE. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE RELATED PROBLEMS WOULD BE SUBMITTED IN MARCH TO THE JLG FOR DISCUSSION. THIS WOULD PAVE THE WAY FOR AN APRIL MEETING BETWEEN THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER AND THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY. MING PAO HOWEVER, NOTED A SOURCE AS SAYING THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT SOFTENED THEIR STAND.
11.
WAH
THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS QUOTED (17.2) BRITISH AND HK SOURCES AS SAYING BOTH SIDES HAD AGREED TO THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS AND WOULD SEND LOWER LEVEL DIPLOMATIC OFFICIALS FOR INITIAL TALKS IN PEKING. THE DISCUSSION WOULD COVER THE 1995 ELECTIONS AND CURRENT SINO/BRITISH/HK RELATIONS AND SET DOWN THE AREAS FOR STRENGTHENING SINO-HK CO-OPERATION. THE SOURCES INDICATED THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT INSISTED ON THE GOVERNOR WITHDRAWING HIS PROPOSALS. MING PAO NOTED ZHOU NAN AND HIS DEPUTY QIN WENJUN WERE ON AN OFFICIAL VISIT IN PEKING. A SOURCE CLOSE TO CHINESE SENIOR OFFICIALS BELIEVED ZHOU MIGHT BE MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR THE POSSIBLE RESUMPTION OF TALKS. THE SOURCE SAID THE KEY TO RE- OPENING OF TALKS RESTED WITH THE BRITISH SIDE'S AGREEMENT TO DEFER ANNOUNCING THE BILLS PASSED BY EXCO UNTIL RESULTS HAD BEEN ACHIEVED AT FUTURE TALKS.
12. REPORTS NOTED (18.2) INFORMATION CO-ORDINATOR, MIKE HANSON, SAID BRITAIN AND CHINA HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER RELATING TO THE HK PROBLEM, AND IT WAS HOPED THIS WOULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO THE RE-OPENING OF TALKS. HOWEVER, AT THIS STAGE THERE WAS NO ANNOUNCEMENT. A SPOKESMAN FROM THE BRITISH EMBASSY, PEKING, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING SINCE THE GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS TO LEGCO IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR, THERE HAD BEEN CONTINUED SINO-BRITISH CONTACTS. IT WAS HOPED THE TWO SIDES COULD RESUME
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