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A
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HE HAS WIDE EXPERIENCE OF GOVERNMENT AND OF CONSTITUTIONAL PRACTICE, DERIVED FROM WORK IN A VARIETY OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS. THIS EXPERIENCE FITS HIM TO MAKE A VAULABLE AND
DISTINCTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORK OF THE MONITORING TEAM. (2) WHAT DOES HE KNOW ABOUT HONG KONG?
SIR P NAIRNE HAS VISITED HONG KONG ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS IN
THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE. BUT HE HAS
PRIMARILY BEEN CHOSEN FOR HIS BUREAUCRATIC SKILLS AND HIS
WIDE EXPERIENCE OF GOVERNMENT. IT WILL BE THE HONG KONG
MEMBER OF THE MONITORING TEAM, MR JUSTICE LI, WHO WILL
PROVIDE THE DETAILED LOCAL KNOWLEDGE.
(OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS) NB WE DO NOT PROPOSE TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT SIR P NAIRNE'S EARLIER CONTACTS WITH HONG KONG
DERIVE LARGELY WITH FROM WORK IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE. (CLOSE
SQUARE BRACKETS)
(3) WHEN WILL HE START WORK?
WILL HE VISIT HONG KONG BEFORE THE TEST OF ACCEPT ABILITY
BEGINS?
WE HAVE SAID THAT THE MONITORING TEAM IS EXPECTED TO START
WORK AT ABOUT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. IT IS ENVISAGED THAT THE
TEAM WILL BE IN PLACE A LITTLE IN ADVANCE OF THE START OF THE
TEST OF ACCEPTABILITY.
(4) WILL SIR P NAIRNE SPEAK TO THE PRESS?
C.
IT IS FUNDAMENT AL TO THE TASK OF THE MONITORING TEAM THAT THE
MONITORS SHOULD BE DISCREET, NEUTRAL AND IMPARTIAL OBSERVERS
OF THE TEST OF ACCEPTABILITY. IT SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED THAT
THEY WOULD MAKE ANY PUBLIC STATEMENT ON THE SUBSTANCE OF
THEIR FUNCTIONS, OR ON THE TEST OF ACCEPTABILITY ITSELF.
THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO REPORT TO THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH
SECRETARY. SIR P NAIRNE HAS HOWEVER ISSUED THE FOLLOWING
PRESS STATEMENT THROUGH RTHK.
FOLLOWING IS PROPOSED TEXT OF PRESS STATEMENT BY
SIR P NAIRNE:
BEGINS
I AM EXTREMELY HONOURED TO HAVE BEEN APPOINTED BY THE FOREIGN AND
COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY AS A MEMBER OF THE MONITORING TEAM
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