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FOUR PD THERE ARE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS OF TIMESCALE PD IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO MEET THE DEADLINES OF APRIL 1977 AND APRIL 1978 ORIGINALLY PROPOSED PD THE LIMITING FACTOR IS NOT THE WILLINGNESS OF THE SERVICES TO VACATE THE SITES BUT THE TIME NEEDED FOR PLANNING AND FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION PD THE FORM OF WORDS USED IN THE HEADS OF AGREEMENT GIVES US ANOTHER YEARS GRACE AND MAKES THE TIMING OF THE RELEARE OF THE LAND OLEARLY DEPENDENT UPON RE-PROVISIONING BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT PD WE SHALL HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT IS PRACTICABLE WHEN THE JOINT WORKING PARTY WHICH IS TO BE SET UP HERE TO EXAMINE THE PROBLEM URGENTLY HAS DONE ITS JOB PD WE MUST MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO KEEP TO THE TIMETABLE BUT I JUDGE THAT THE UNOFFICIALS WOULD NOT SEEK TO UPSET THE FINANCIAL AGREEMENT IF THERE IS SOME MINOR DELAY CMM PROVIDED THAT WE ARE SEEN TO BE DOING OUR BEST TO CARRY OUT OUR PART OF THE BARGAIN CCM WHICH WE MUST
FIVE PD I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE CAN BE ANY SERIOUS
POLITICAL ORITICISM AT HME OF AN AGREEMENT UOPER WHICH WE HAND OVER TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THESE TWO SITES PD AFTER ALL CMM THE LAND BELONGS TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THEY WILL BEAR
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THE WHOLE COST OF RE-PROVISION PD WITHOUT AN OVER-RIDING MILITARY NECESSITY IT WOULD BE INDEFENSIBLE TO HANG ON THE THEM WHEN THEY ARE BADLY NEEDED FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND WHEN THE FUNCTIONS OF THE GARRISON CAN BE PERFORMED ELSEWHERE PD WE SHALL BE ABLE THROUGH THE WORKING PARTY TO EXERCISE SOME DISCRETION OVER THE PRECISE AREAS TO BE GIVEN UP CMM AND CMM IF WE WISH CMM TO RETAIN A PORTION OF THE SITES PD
SIX PD AS REGARDS THE DURATION OF THE AGREEMENT CMM THE GOVERNOR AND THE UNOFFICIALS DID AFTER ALL PRESS HARD FOR TEN YEARS CMM OR AT LEAST SEVEN CMM ON THE GROUND THAT A LONGER AGREEMENT WOULD MAKE FOR STABILITY PO I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD NO AUTHORITY TO GO BEYOND FIVE YEARS AND WE HAD TO AGREE TO DIFFER PD THERE IS NO COMMITMENT ON OUR PART BEYOND FIVE YEARS CMM BUT NOW THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED OUR 75 PER CENT MY OWN INCLINATION IS TO AGREE TO SEVEN SEVEN PD I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED THE AGREEMENT TO BE PUBLISHED AT ONCE CMM NOT LEAST AVOID POSSIBLE PARLIAMENTARY EMBARRASSMENT PD BUT THE GOVERNOR STRONGLY TOOK THE VIEW THAT IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO ANNOUNCE EVEN AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE UNTIL HE AND THE LEADING UNOFFICIALS HAD HAD MORE TIME TO PREPARE OPINION IN HONG KONG PD IN THE LIGHT OF THIS THE REAL CHOICE WAS BETWEEN A RELATIVELY
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LOW-KEYED AND UNREVEALING PRESS STATEMENT SUCH AS WE SHALL ISSUE AND A CLEAR ADMISSION THAT WE HAD FAILED TO AGREE PD NEITHER OF US SAW MERIT IN THE LATTER PD IN PRACTIC PD I HOPE THAT IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT EARLY NEXT MONTH PD MEANWHILE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT CONFIDENTIALITY SHOULD BE MAINTAINED IN LONDON AS WELL AS HONG KONG
EIGHT PD I AM TELEGRAPHING SEPARATELY THE TEXTS OF AN AGREED PRESS STATEMENT TO BE ISSUED IN HONG KONG AT 010830Z AND OF MY OWN REMARKS AT MY PRESS CONFERENCE
BT