H.E.: ''YES'' IS THE SHORT ANSWER TO THAT, AND PERHAPS I MIGHT
ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON IT. I THINK THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL IS
REPRESENTATIVE BOTH BECAUSE OF ITS COMPOSITION AND THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE IN IT, AND BECAUSE IT TAKES WITH IT NOT ONLY ITS OWN VIEWS
BUT THE VIEWS OF A VERY WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG. I THINK
YOU ALL KNOW THAT BEFORE WE LEFT LAST WEEK, THERE WAS A LONG
DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
AND MYSELF, AND ALL THE OTHER UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. AND BEFORE THAT MEETING TOOK PLACE, THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS
OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAD ALLHAD WIDE CONTACTS IN HONG KONG AT ALL
LEVELS - DISTRICT BOARDS, URBAN COUNCIL, THEIR OWN PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND SO ON, SO YOU ARE DEALING WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE
A WIDE KNOWLEDGE OF HONG KONG, WHO HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF CONTACTS IN
HONG KONG AND WHO ARE FULLY COMPETENT TO REPRESENT THOSE VIEWS TO
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
QUESTION: IF CHINA WERE TO TAKE BACK HER SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG
FOR ONE DAY ... (INAUDIBLE) HOW MANY MORE YEARS AT LEAST YOU WOULD
THINK THAT HONG KONG SHOULD BE UNDER THE BRITISH FLAG IN ORDER TO
MAINTAIN THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG?
H.E.: I THINK YOU'RE SPECULATING WAY DOWN THE LINE, IF I MAY SAY SO.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: THE STOCK MARKET HAS RESPONDED VERY POSITIVELY TO THE NEWS
OF THE TALKS RESTARTING: WOULD YOU SAY THAT THIS MOOD, SOME HAVE
DESCRIBED IT AS ''EUPHORIA'T IS WELL FOUNDED?
H.E.: I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T CALL IT ''EUPHORIA'': I THINK IT IS INDEED
AN ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU SAY THEY HAVE RESTARTED IT, THAT'S NOT WHAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT SAID, THE ANNOUNCEMENT SAID THAT
THE SECOND PHASE WOULD BEGIN.
QUESTION: YOU ARE GOING TO STAY IN PEKING A FEW MORE DAYS
BEFORE AND AFTER THE TALKS IN PEKING, OR WHAT?
H.E. NO, I'M GOING TO PEKING THIS TIME FOR THE TALKS AND THEN I
SHALL COME BACK DIRECTLY AFTER THE TALKS, BUT THAT IS OF COURSE
ONLY THE BEGINNING PHASE AND IT'S ONLY THE FIRST IN A NUMBER OF
VISITS WHICH I EXPECT TO MAKE.
QUESTION: BUT ARE YOU GOING TO STAY FOR A FEW MORE DAYS?
H.E.: THIS TIME NO. I WOULD'T MIND A HOLIDAY, I MUST ADMIT.
QUESTION: DO YOU THINK THAT THE BRITISH DELEGATION WILL REPRESENT THE
INTERESTS AND WILL OF THE HONG KONG PEOPLE IN THE TALKS, AND DO
YOU THINK THERE IS A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE WILL OF THE HONG KONG
PEOPLE AND THE WILL OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT?
3
/H.E.! NO.