TNAG-2990-FCO40-3574-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-talks-betwee-1992 — Page 22

4.

The journalists' comments on other aspects of the exchanges were reasonably encouraging. They noted our pressure on directly elected seats. They commented that the two Ministers seemed to be talking past each other. They appeared to accept that things had been left inconclusive at the end, although they did wonder why we had not spelt out in a final message after the publication of the draft Basic Law that we did not regard ourselves as bound by any agreement in principle on the Election Committee. On that, I said that it was clear from Mr Hurd's statement in the House of Commons that there was no deal on the 1995 election arrangements, and that at this point exchanges passed from being private messages between the Ministers to public discussion of the draft Basic Law.

But I

We shall see how the articles come out tomorrow. am reasonably hopeful that they will conclude that the evidence is confused and inconclusive, and that neither side decisively wins the argument. I think if we get to that

5.

point, we shall not have done too badly.

'cketts

P F Ricketts

pressbrief.BRIEF.bern