FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1984
9
018: LLOYD DOBYNS NBC NEWS: IN VIEW OF YOUR NEXT STOP, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE THE UNITED STATES TO DO TO EITHER HELP OR SUPPORT THIS AGREEMENT?
PRIME MINISTER THE UNITED STATES HAS ALREADY WELCOMED THE AGREEMENT AND SO HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER COUNTRIES. I BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL EXPRESS THE IR FAITH IN THAT AGREEMENT BY JUST CARRYING ON THE KIND OF INVESTMENT AND CONFIDENCE THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY SHOWN IN HONG KONG AND IT IS VITAL THAT THEY AND MANY OTHER COUNTRIES DO SO, AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN.
019: CAN I RETURN BACK TO THE QUESTION OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP? THE REASON GIVEN TO US FOR NOT HAVING HONG KONG PEOPLE REPRESENTATIVES SITTING IN THE GROUP IS THAT BECAUSE IT IS A DIPLOMATIC BODY. BUT CAN YOU TELL US WHY THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP HAS TO BE A DIPLOMATIC BODY IN THE FIRST HAND?
PRIME MINISTER: NO, IT IS AN INTER-GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT. THAT IS TO SAY IT IS AN AGREEMENT SIGNED BY CHINA AND GREAT BRITAIN. AND THAT IS THE MAIN REASON. THEREFORE IT WILL HAVE ON IT FIVE PEOPLE FROM EACH GOVERNMENT OR FIVE PEOPLE NOMINATED BY EACH GOVERNMENT AND THERE WILL BE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AMONG THAT FIVE, AND, OF COURSE AS. UNTIL NOW, THE CONCERNS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE WILL BE FULLY TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. BUT THE REAL REASON IS THAT IT IS AN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT.
020: MRS THATCHER, YOU HAVE SOLVED THE HISTORICAL PROBLEM OF HONG KONG AS A TERRITORY YET YOU ARE LEFT WITH A MORAL PROBLEM BECAUSE SINCE WORLD WAR II THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT SIX MILLION PEOPLE, BY TREATY, HAVE TRANSFERRED FROM WHAT YOU YOURSELF MIGHT CALL THE FREE WORLD TO COMMUNISM.
YOU HAVE SIGNED THAT TREATY. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
PRIME MINISTER I THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NEGLIGENT HAD WE NOT, IN FACT, RAISED THE POST-1997 POSITION AS WE DID. WE RAISED IT. WE HAVE GOT AN AGREEMENT WHICH IS ACCEPTABLE OVERWHELMINGLY TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, THAT AGREEMENT WILL EXTEND TO 50 YEARS BEYOND 1997. I FEEL WE HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. JUST CONSIDER WHAT SORT OF QUESTIONS YOU WOULD BE ASKING ME NOW HAD THERE BEEN NO AGREEMENT AND A TOTALLY UNKNOWN FUTURE.
Q 21. SCHWARTZ, UP! CHANGING THE SUBJECT.....
PRIME MINISTER SHOULD BE DELIGHTED IF YOU DO!
QUESTIONER AFTER YOUR TALKS WITH MR GORBACHOV THIS WEEK ARE YOU SATISFIED THE SOVIET UNION IS SERIOUS ABOUT ARMS CONTROL AND DO YOU CARRY ANY MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT REAGAN IN ADVANCE OF THE TALKS IN GENEVA BETWEEN MR SCHULTZ AND MR GROMEKO?
/PRIME MINISTER :