ENG-1996 — Page 77

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ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE TRANSITION

(c) called on China to honour the undertaking, given by the Chinese Foreign Minister to the Foreign Secretary, that the provisional legislature would not assume its functions before July 1, 1997;

(d) called on China to ensure that the provisional legislature is replaced as soon as

possible by a substantive legislature constituted by genuine elections;

(e) stated Britain's readiness to join China in submitting the question to

international legal settlement; and

(f) announced steps to promote future implementation of the Joint Declaration. The Hong Kong Government also issued a statement on the same day to give full support to the Foreign Secretary's statement. It reaffirms that up to June 30, 1997, the current Legislative Council is the only constitutional legislature in Hong Kong, and that the.Hong Kong Government is committed to working with it.

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