TNAG-2912-FCO40-4187-International-support-from-Asia-regarding-the-future-of-Hong-1993 — Page 92

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OF HONG KONG. AT THE SAME TIME WE MUST ACHIEVE CONTINUITY. THAT MEANS OBJECTIVE CRITERIA, EVIDENT TO EVERYBODY, BY WHICH PEOPLE WHO STAND FOR ELECTION IN 1995 KNOW THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE THROUGH 1997 TO THE 1999 ELECTIONS. THAT IS WHY OUR PROPOSALS WERE WITHIN THE GUIDELINES LAID DOWN IN CHINA'S BASIC LAW FOR HONG KONG. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE WANTED TO

DISCUSS THEM WITH CHINA.

WE WERE GLAD TO GET DOWN TO TALKS WITH THE CHINESE SIDE ON THIS ISSUE IN APRIL. SINCE THEN WE HAVE HAD SEVEN ROUNDS OF DISCUSSIONS. PROGRESS HAS BEEN SLOW SLOWER THAN WE WOULD WISH. BUT WE HAVE NOW REACHED THE POINT WHERE MOST OF THE GROUNDWORK HAS BEEN DONE. CHRIS PATTEN THEREFORE SUGGESTED THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD MOMENT FOR ME TO TAKE STOCK WITH MY

CHINESE COUNTERPART.

WHEN THE GOVERNOR WAS IN LONDON LAST WEEK WE DECIDED THAT I SHOULD VISIT PEKING BRIEFLY ON MY WAY BACK FROM TOKYO LATER THIS WEEK. I AM NOT GOING TO NEGOTIATE OR TO CONCLUDE AN AGREEMENT. BUT I WILL BE SEEKING TO CONCENTRATE THE NEGOTIATIONS ON THE ESSENTIAL POINTS. WE DO NOT HAVE UNLIMITED TIME TO REACH AN AGREEMENT, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO MAKE THE PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ELECTIONS IN 1994 AND 1995. SO THE NEGOTIATORS NEED TO FOCUS ON THE ESSENTIALS AND MOVE FORWARD MORE PURPOSEFULLY TOWARDS AN AGREEMENT.

MY MAIN MESSAGE IN PEKING.

DUGGAN

THAT WILL BE

YYYY

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LEGAL ADVISERS//MS BARRETT LEGAL ADVISERS//MISS BROOKS LEGAL ADVISERS//MR GILES NEWS D

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