GOVERNOR Chris Patten, who was briefed by Prime Minister John Major over the phone for half an hour before Mr Major's meeting with Mr Qian, welcomed the new agreements, his spokesman, Kerry McGlynn, said last night.
'It's a real turning point and tonic for the community,' Mr McGlynn said.
'Both sides need to work hard on details to make sure the agreement will reach fruition,' he said.
Mr McGlynn denied that the British side had moved 'even a centimetre' from its stance on the new Legislative Council, saying there was no reason why Legco could not straddle 1997.
An informed source said the final deal was 'much better than expected', although the Government had earlier pinned hopes for progress on the issues of the preparatory committee, civil service contacts and the handover ceremony.
The Chief Secretary has chaired a top-level committee to study options for the handover ceremony, which would 'please everybody'.
