RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1944
OF 14115OZ JUNE 91
HKG
18214
20JUN1991
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
LIST?
60
152171
MDHIAN 1220
AIRPORT TALKS: PRESS REPORTS 13 JUNE 1991.
1 . THERE IS LITTLE OF INTEREST IN TODAY'S PRESS, BUT ONE ARTICLE IN WEN WEI PO EXPANDS ON THE VISIT TO PEKING OF THE STUDY GROUP ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT.
2. THE SPOKESMAN OF THE GROUP, WANG LIANGHUI, QUOTES LU PING AS SAYING THAT IF THERE WERE A NUMBER OF POSSIBLE SITES FOR THE AIRPORT THEN HKG SHOULD FURTHER STUDY THEM AND SHOULD LET HK PEOPLE DECIDE. HK PEOPLE SHOULD CERTAINLY BE CONSULTED AND A CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE SHOULD BE SET UP WITH ITS MEMBERS APPOINTED BY ME. IF THE BRITISH DID NOT SET UP A CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE, CHINA HOPED TO SET UP A PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE SAR AND TO USE IT TO CONSULT HK PEOPLE ON THE AIRPORT. WANG ALSO QUOTES LU AS SAYING AT THE PRESENT STAGE THE BRITISH WOULD CERTAINLY NOT/NOT ACCEPT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH A COMMITTEE. A SIMILAR REPORT APPEARS IN THE SCMP.
COMMENT
3. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE SEEN REFERENCE TO THE CHINESE SETTING UP A PREPARATORY COMMITTEE EARLY. BUT SINCE LU PING TAILORS HIS COMMENTS TO HIS AUDIENCE, AND THE STUDY GROUP'S RAISON D'ETRE IS THE PROMOTION OF ALTERNATIVE SITES, THIS SUGGESTION NEED NOT NECESSARILY BE TAKEN TOO SERIOUSLY.
WILSON
YYYY
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