The central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)?government are fully committed to promoting constitutional development in accordance with the Basic Law with a view to achieving universal suffrage, a HKSAR government spokesman said Thursday.

The spokesman also responded to remarks contained in the US Country Report on Human Rights relating to Hong Kong's constitutional development.

He said the HKSAR government was fully in tune with the public's aspirations for universal suffrage.

"Last November, Chief Executive Donald Tsang initiated the discussion on formulating a roadmap for universal suffrage through the Commission on Strategic Development. The commission aims to draw conclusions on those discussions by early 2007, and hopes that this will provide a basis for us to commence our next phase of work," he said.

On interpreting the Basic Law, the spokesman emphasized that in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) has the authority to interpret it.

"The NPC Standing Committee's power to interpret the Basic Law is in general and unqualified terms. This principle is fully acknowledged and respected in Hong Kong and by its courts," he said.

"The exercise of that power by the NPC Standing Committee, therefore, has not, and could not, in any way affect the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law or, generally, Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy," the spokesman noted.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2006)