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FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1986
MR RENTON: THINK YOU GIVE ME PART OF THE ANSWER IN YOUR USE OF THE WORDS FALKLANDS OR MALVINAS ISLANDS. THERE IS NO PARALLEL AT ALL BETWEEN THE SITUATION IN HK AND THAT IN THE FALKLANDS, THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT (FALKLAND ISLANDS) OF 83 CONFERRED BRITISH CITIZENSHIP ON THE FALKLAND ISLANDS BECAUSE OF THEIR PARTICULAR ROLE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC HOSTILITIES, AND IT HAS TO BE REMEMBERED THAT ARGENTINA HAS STILL NOT FORMALLY CEASED A DECLARATION OF HOSTILITIES AGAINST THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, IT WAS MADE CLEAR DURING THE PASSAGE OF THAT ACT THAT THIS SITUATION WAS WHOLLY EXCEPTIONAL AND THAT IT DIDN'T PROVIDE A PRECEDENT FOR OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES. THE MAJORITY OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, I HAVE TO TELL YOU, AND I WAS THERE MYSELF LAST MAY, THEY ARE ALREADY BRITISH CITIZENS EITHER BECAUSE THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY CITIZENS OF THE UK AND COLONIES WITH THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK THROUGH THE IR PARENTS OR THROUGH THE IR GRANDPARENTS. THERE IS THEREFORE NO PARALLEL WHATSOEVER WITH THE POSITION, THE SENSITIVE POSITION, OF NON-ETHNIC CHINESE MINORITIES IN HK. ON THE QUESTION OF GIBRALTAR I'M SORRY TO TAKE A LITTLE LONG ANSWERING THIS QUESTION, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT AND THERE'S IMPORTANT DETAIL IN IT, THERE IS NO PARALLEL EITHER. BRITISH CITIZENSHIP HAS NOT BEEN CONFERRED ON THE GIBRALTARIANS IN THE WAY THAT IT IS SUGGESTED THAT WE SHOULD CONFER IT ON THE NON-ETHNIC MINORITIES IN HK. PEOPLE CLOSELY CONNECTED WITH GIBRALTAR, AND I STRESS THE WORDS CLOSELY CONNECTED, BECAUSE THIS IS OF COURSE AN ESSENTIAL CONCEPT OF OUR CITIZENSHIP THESE DAYS, THEY ARE ALREADY BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS. THEY HAVE AN UNCONDITIONAL ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTRATION AS BRITISH CITIZENS BECAUSE THEY NOW FALL TO BE TREATED AS UK NATIONALS FOR EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PURPOSES. THIS IS THEREFORE THE TWO REASONS ABOUT OR WHY IT'S QUITE INAPPROPRIATE TO DRAW A PARALLEL WITH EITHER FALKLANDS OR WITH GIBRALTER.
Q. BETTY LIU, TVB NEWS. THIS IS A QUESTION ON NATIONALITY. UMELCO STATED LAST WEEK THAT UNLESS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS THE UNOFFICIAL'S STAND ON IT, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS NOT DISCHARGING ITS MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE PEOPLE OF HK, THE COMMITTMENT MRS THATCHER MADE THREE YEARS AGO. DOES THIS COMMITTMENT STILL STAND?
ME RENTON FIRST OF ALL CAN I SAY THAT AS FAR AS THE POSITION OF THE UNOFFICIALS, I WOULD ASSUME THAT, THAT WHAT I'VE ALREADY SAID, THAT THE STATEMENT I ANNOUNCED LAST NIGHT AND REPEATED TO YOU ALL THIS MORNING, THAT THIS WILL HAVE AN IMPORTANT IMPACT ON THE MINDS OF UNOFFICIALS. I HOPE IT DOES BECAUSE THEY'RE FAIR-MINDED PEOPLE AND THEY WILL SEE NOW THAN OUR MINDS ARE, AS WE'VE SAID ALL ALONG, NOT CLOSED, THAT THE POINT OF HAVING A PRELIMINARY DEBATE ON THE DRAFT OF A DRAFT ORDER WAS THAT WE SHOULD HEAR ABOUT OBJECTIONS AND THEN CONSIDER WHETHER AMENDMENTS ARE POSSIBLE. THAT IS EXACTLY THE COURSE WE'RE FOLLOWING. ON THE QUESTION OF MORAL RESPONSIBILITY I DO HAVE TO SAY THIS: OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS AS I HAVE SAID EARLIER, OUR MORAL RESPONSIBILITY, IS TO SEE THAT THE AGREEMENT THAT WE SO PAINFULLY NEGOTIATED AND THAT WAS HERALDED WORLDWIDE AS SUCH AN ACHIEVEMENT, THAT THAT IS IMPLEMENTED TO THE FULL. THIS IS OUR MORAL RESPONSIBILITY AND IT IS A RESPONSIBILITY THE FIVE MILLION PEOPLE IN HK ARE, NOW MATTER WHAT NATIONALITY THEY ARE, AND IT IS THAT RESPONSIBILITY THAT AS I'VE SAID WE SHALL CONTINUE TO DISCHARGE TO THE FULL. THAT IS WHERE OUR MORAL RESPONSIBILITY LIES.
/Q. FANNY