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GEOFFREY: I'M NOT QUITE SURE I FOLLOW THE QUESTION. I THINK * MAT THE TOPICS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED ARE ILLUSTRATED BY SOME OF THE OUTCOMES TO WHICH I HAVE REFERRED. I COULDN'T BEGIN T GIVE YOU AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ALL THE MATTERS THAT HAVE BEEN DCUSSED. BUT THE FACT THAT AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN REACHED, FOR EXAMPLE ON THE HANDLING OF AIR SERVICES AGREEMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE ON THE FUTURE POSITION OF HONG KONG IN GATT, SHOWS THE WAY IN WHICH AGREEMENTS CAN BE REACHED. AND ON SOME OF THOSE ISSUES THE STARTING POSITIONS WERE INITIALLY DIVERGENT, SO IT SHOWS THAT IT IS POSSIBLE.....
SORRY? AH, THAT'S NOT BEEN A TOPIC UNDER DISCUSSION IN
THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND IT, NO.
QUESTION, FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING, IT APPEARS THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IS WHITTLING AWAY THE PROMISE OF A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY CONTAINED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. IS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PREPARED TO JEOPARDI SE ITS GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO INSIST THAT ON THE LETTER AND SPIRIT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION BEING FULLY ENFORCED.
SIR GEOFFREY: I THINK THAT IT'S MUCH TOO EARLY YET TO JUDGE THE OUTCOME OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING PROCESS, WHICH IS STILL AT AN FARLY STAGE. I SAID IN MY STATEMENT THAT WE COULD TAKE SOME ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE SERIOUS WAY IN WHICH IT IS BEING HANDLED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND ON THE WAY IN WHICH PROVISION HAS BEEN MADE FOR AN INPUT FROM THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. CERTAINLY HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT DOES ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO THE TERMS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION BEING FULLY AND FAITHFULLY IMPLEMENTED AND THE PREPARATION OF THE BASIC LAW IS ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH IMPLEMENTATION WILL TAKE PLACE. AND WE SHALL CERTAINLY BE TAKING A CONSISTENT, CLOSE INTEREST, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE OUTCOME THAT WILL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION. IT'S A MATTER THAT WE REGARD AS VERY IMPORTANT.
QUESTION: CAN YOU SAY WHAT YOU MEAN BY +ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO+, HOW MUCH IMPORTANCE?
SIR GEOFFREY IF A JOINT DECLARATION HAS BEEN MADE SETTING OUT THE TERMS ON WHICH THE TWO PARTIES TO THE JOINT DECLARATION ARE AGREED, THEN IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE TERMS OF THAT JOINT DECLARATION SHOULD BE FULFILLED. AND THERE ARE VARIOUS WAYS IN WHICH THAT FULFILMENT COMES ABOUT. THE DRAFTING OF THE BASIC LAW IS ONE, THAT IS AN IMPORTANT WAY.
QUESTION:
HOW DOES THE FOREIGN OFFICE PLAN TO LIMIT THE DAMAGE DONE TO ANGLO-SAUDI RELATIONS BY SIR JAMES CRAIG'S (UNCLEAR) INFELICITOUS REMARKS PUBLISHED IN SCOTLAND YESTERDAY, NOT IN ENGLAND BECAUSE OF COURSE THE INJUNCTION THE FOREIGN OFFICE TOOK OUT AGAINST THESE REMARKS BEING PUBLISHED IN ENGLAND AND IN PARTICULAR THE POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE VISIT BY THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES TO SAUDI ARABIA NEXT MONTH.
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SIR GEOFFREY: AS I SAID I THINK IN ANSWER TO A VERY SIMILAR QUESTION IN BOURNEMOUTH ON FRIDAY, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT VIEWS CONTAINED IN A DOCUMENT OF THE KIND IN QUESTION ARE THE VIEWS OF THE AUTHOR OF THAT DOCUMENT AND NOT OF HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT. IT IS IMPORTANT ALSO TO UNDERSTAND THE STRENGTH ON WHICH GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND SAUDI ARABIA HAVE BEEN BUILT, AND NOT TO COME TO ANY UNDULY PESSIMISTIC CONCLUSIONS AS TO THE IMPACT ON THOSE LONGSTANDING GOOD RELATIONS OF THE PUBLICATION IN THE WAY YOU DESCRIBED OF A DOCUMENT OF THIS KIND. WE DO ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO THOSE RELATIONS- so no THE GOVERNMENT OF SAUDI ARABIA. AND I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY THAN THAT.
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