24-APR-1592 16:53
JAMES LEE
P.06
TRANSCRIPT B
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CHRIS PATTEN MR.
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PC
>
LONDON
24 APRIL 1992
QUESTION:
You do have some ideas you want to put to him on that?
MR. PATTEN:
I would not dignify the present structure of my thinking on that
subject by describing it as an idea but I hope that by next week I
will be having some more ideas and will be having things that I
can talk to Lord Wilson and others about. I repeat the fact that
I know that there is an outstanding civil service, public service,
in Hong Kong and I shall want to work very closely with them to
ensure that their morale is as high as possible because Hong Kong
depends obviously to a considerable extent not just on its spirit
of entrepreneurialism but on the quality of its public service.
QUESTION (BBC):
Mx. Patten, the Opposition have already raised the question of
whether you will be too close to Downing Street to be able to
defend the interests of the Hong Kong people. In a position where
it was necessary to defend the Hong Kong people against a decision
of Downing Street, which would you choose?
MR. FATTEN:
I have been listening to remarks on a variety of subjects by the
Opposition over the last few weeks and I am bound to say,
have been apparent, I have not agreed with them all.