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DECLINED TO SPECULATE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY EITHER OF COST
ESTIMATES OR OF PASSENGER/CARGO ESTIMATES BEING OUTDATED.
4. PINTO SAID NOTHING TO SUGGEST THERE WOULD BE ANY REVISED MACAU GOVERNMENT INTENTION TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL EQUITY OR TO GUARANTEEING MORE THAN THEIR ONE THIRD SHARE OF EXISTING EQUITY. AT TIMES HE CONFUSED THE MACAU WITH THE PORTUGUESE GOVERNMENT. BUT EARLIER THAT MORNING UNDER SECRETARY FOR ECONOMICS AND FINANCE, PESSOA, HAD CONFIRMED SEPARATELY TO GRAHAM AND HUGH DAVIES (HEAD OF SED) THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF PORTUGAL UNDERWRITING ANY ELEMENT OF MACAU'S AIRPORT. CASTOR SILVA HOWEVER
HAD INDICATED THAT THE GOVERNOR HAD SUGGESTED THAT THE MACAU
GOVERNMENT WOULD IN FACT TAKE ADDITIONAL EQUITY AND PROBABLY A
GREATER ROLE IN GUARANTEEING THE AIRPORT. NEITHER CASTRO SILVA NOR PINTO WAS ABLE TO SAY WHETHER THE BANK OF CHINA WOULD
PARTICIPATE IN ANY GUARANTEES.
5. PINTO SAID THAT THE EARLIEST THE AIRPORT COULD BE OPENED WAS
SPRING 1995 AND THAT AUTUMN OR WINTER 1995 WAS MORE LIKELY. HE
HAD ALREADY DECIDED TO RENEGOTIATE THE FIXED COST ELEMENT OF THE
CONTRACTS FOR THE RUNWAY AND PILING WORKS BEFORE SIGNATURE.
RECLAMATION WORK, WHICH REPRESENTED 40 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL AIRPORT OUTLAY, WAS ALREADY ON A FIXED COST BASIS. THE TERMINAL, TOGETHER WITH EQUIPMENT FOR THE AIRPORT, PINTO ESTIMATED WOULD COMPRISE ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF THE COSTS. HE WAS ATTRACTED TO THE
IDEA OF APPOINTING A MANAGING CONTRACTOR FOR BOTH THE TERMINAL
WORK AND THE SELECTION OF NAVAIDS EQUIPMENT. HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT CONTRACT (EPC)
USED BY THE OIL INDUSTRY IN WHICH HE WAS FORMERLY EMPLOYED. PINTO
SAID THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR A COMBINATION OF PROVEN EXPERIENCE
IN TH FIELD, REASONABLE PRICE AND COMPETENT TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT. HE ENVISAGED SOME FORM OF LIMITED TENDER BY EARLY SEPTEMBER, WITH DECISIONS BY EARLY OCTOBER. HE AGREED THAT ON THIS PROGRAMME IT
WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR UKAG TO VISIT MACAU FOR A PRESENTATION
TOWARDS THE END OF AUGUST/ EARLY SEPTEMBER.
6. IN ANSWER TO ECGD QUERIES ON THE PRECISE NATURE OF CHINA'S
COMMITMENT TO MACAU AIRPORT, PINTO REITERATED PUBLIC STATEMENTS BY SENIOR CHINESE LEADERS ABOUT THEIR SUPPORT, THE FACT THAT THE AIRPORT FRANCHISE WAS FOR 25 YEARS (WITH OPTIONS THEREAFTER FOR
FURTHER BLOCKS OF 10 YEARS) AND THE NATURE OF AVIATION
DISCUSSIONS THROUGH THE JLG, WHICH WOULD TAKE PLACE IN MORE DETAIL DURING THE NEXT ROUND IN PEKING IN SEPTEMBER.
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