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QUESTION:
H.E.:
COULD YOU SAY WHETHER THE ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY HAS BEEN RESOLVED BECAUSE HERE IN HONG KONG WE HAVE VARIOUS SPECULATIONS IN THE PRESS THAT BRITAIN IS QUITE WILLING TO GIVE UP SOVEREIGNTY, BUT AFTER YOUR TALKS WITH MRS THATCHER, COULD YOU TELL US WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING ON THAT ISSUE?
WELL, I THINK PERHAPS I HAD BETTER MAKE QUITE A GENERAL STATEMENT AT THE BEGINNING, WHICH IS, I KNOW OF ALL THIS SPECULATION WHICH IS GOING ON IN THE PRESS AND THE SPECULATION ABOUT POSITIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKEN UP AND WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN TAKEN UP, BUT WE HAVE SAID AND I REPEAT AGAIN, THAT THE TALKS ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO COMMENT ON INDIVIDUAL PRESS STORIES. THE GENERAL SPECULATION IS NOT AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF THE POSITION, AND THE REASON I MAKE THIS STATEMENT THIS MORNING IS THAT AS YOU ALL KNOW, I SHALL BE GOING TO PEKING NEXT WEEK AND I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THAT WILL LEAD TO ANOTHER WIDE SERIES OF STORIES ABOUT POSITIONS AND WHAT IS HAPPENING. NOW, IT IS NOT GOING TO BE POSSIBLE IF WE ARE GOING TO CONDUCT CONFIDENTIAL TALKS, TO COMMENT ON INDIVIDUAL ISSUES.
QUESTION: HOW WILL THE SECOND ROUND OF TALKS DIFFER FROM THE
PREVIOUS ONE?
H.E.:
WELL, I THINK THE PHRASE WHICH THE FOREIGN OFFICE USED IN DESCRIBING THEM THE OTHER DAY WAS +A NEW AND MORE DETAILED PHASE+, BUT AS I SAID IN MY TALK ON TELEVISION AT THE END OF MAY, WE HAVE NOT DISTINGUISHED SUBSTANTIVELY BETWEEN THE VARIOUS STAGES OF THE TALKS. I THINK THE ONE WAY IN WHICH IT IS GOING TO DIFFER IS THAT I SHALL BE THERE ON TUESDAY, WHEREAS I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE BEFORE.
QUESTION:
H.E.:
CAN YOU TELL US WHY YOU'RE GOING TO PEKING, AND WHOM YOU WILL BE REPRESENTING THERE?
I CAN CERTAINLY TELL YOU WHY I'M GOING TO PEKING, IT WAS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT IF YOU READ IT. I'M GOING TO PEKING TO TAKE PART IN THE TALKS, AND WHAT I SHALL BE DOING THERE IS THIS: I THINK THE CONTRIBUTION 1 CAN MAKE TO THE TALKS IS FAIRLY CLEAR. I HAVE A VERY DIRECT EXPERIENCE OF HOW HONG KONG WORKS, I HAVE A VERY DIRECT KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ARE SAYING THEY WANT, AND I THINK I CAN ALSO SAY WITHOUT UNDUE MODESTY THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE DIPLOMATIC BUSINESS FOR THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AND IN REGULAR CONTACT WITH HONG KONG FOR A PERIOD SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN THAT, SO I THINK THAT IS THE CONTRIBUTION WHICH I CAN MAKE TO THE PEKING TALKS.
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