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Meeting to seek cabinet's final strategy for talks with China

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PRIME Minister John Major has called Governor Chris Patten, the team trying to persuade China to accept broader democracy for Hongkong, and British cabinet members to a summit meeting in London on July 1.

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A terse statement announcing the meeting was issued by the Hongkong Government hours after Sino-British negotiators concluded a fifth round of talks over Hongkong's 1994/95 electoral arrangements, apparently without much progress being made.

The statement played down Mr Patten's attendance by referring to it as one of his ''regular visits to London for consultations''.

But sources described the summit as ''an important decision-making meeting'' to get the final backing from cabinet on a course of action.

Chief negotiator Sir Robin McLaren and Hongkong's Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Michael Sze Cho-cheung, will be joining Mr Patten at the summit.

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If Mr Sze sits in on the meeting, it will be the first time an ethnic Chinese member of the Hongkong Government has joined a cabinet committee meeting.

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