LINES TO TAKE
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Hong Kong people have the right to be told about progress of talks.
Natural that people are anxious to know how talks are going, but we should do everything we can to give the talks the best chance of coming to a successful conclusion. As you know, we have agreed with China that the content of the talks should be confidential. Plainly it is not sensible to negotiate half in public and half in private.
But we have said quite clearly that any understanding reached in those talks must be acceptable to Hong Kong people.
- It must also, of course, be acceptable to LegCo since, at the end of the day, this Council will have to pass the necessary legislation.
No 'secret deals'
Talks are about electoral arrangements which will have to be made public in the form of draft legislation. So no question of
'secret deals'.
Timing of introduction of legislation to LegCo
- Our aim is to give LegCo as much time as possible to discuss the electoral arrangements for 1994/95. But there are a number
of factors to be balanced. These include the need to give the current talks with China a fair wind, to help ensure that they are brought to a successful conclusion. But the necessary legislation must be in place well before the elections are due.
checklist.PR.JRB
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.