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MR MAUDE: WELL, I'M NOT SURE, IF THAT WERE TO BE TAKEN MEASURE OF ANYBODY'S COMMITMENT TO SOMETHING, I THINK IT IS A PRETTY ODD MEASURE. SHE IS DETERMINED TO GET IT THROUGH, AND I WILL.
BELIEVE WE
FOO CHOY PING (THE STRAIT TIMES): MR FRANCIS MAUDE, YOU SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT YOU ARE QUITE CONFIDENT OF CHANGING CHINA'S VIEW ON THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE. WHAT IS THE BASIS OF THIS CONFIDENCE, ARE YOU NOT BEING OVER-OPTIMISTIC?
MR MAUDE: WELL I AM NATURALLY AN OPTIMISTIC CHAP AND I HOPE THAT MY OPTIMISM IS JUSTIFIED. Τ DIDN'T SAY I WAS ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT THAT CHINA WOULD CHANGE HER VIEW ON IT, BUT WE SHALL DO WHAT WE CAN BY RATIONAL ARGUMENT BY SIMPLY STATING THE POSITION TO CHANGE CHINA'S MIND ON THIS.
FOO CHOY PING: IF CHINA REMAINS STUBBORN, WHAT CAN BRITAIN DO?
MR MAUDE: WELL, I MEAN, YOU CAN'T FORCE PEOPLE TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS IF THEY CHOSE NOT TO. ALL YOU CAN DO IS DEPLOY SENSIBLE FATIONAL ARGUMENTS AND HOPE THAT THEY FIND THEIR TARGET, AND THAT'S WHAT WE SHALL DO. BUT WE SHALL CARRY ON WITH OUR NATIONALITY PACKAGE IN ANY EVENT.
THE YOU
SARAH YUEN (ATV): TWO POINTS, THE FIRST ONE, IT SEEMS BY WHAT YOU ARE SAYING THAT THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE IS BEING SEEN AS AN END IN ITSELF, AS IN THE WHOLE SOLUTION TO THE WHOLE PROBLEM, I THINK MY COLLEAGUE WAS ASKING WHAT OTHER MEASURES ARE BEING TAKEN IN CASE NATIONALITY PACKAGE DOESN'T GO THROUGH? AND THE SECOND ONE
IS, SAY THAT AS MUCH IS BEING DONE AS POSSIBLE TO CHANGE CHINA'S MIND, BUT IS IT BEING DONE STRONG ENOUGH? I MEAN WE KEEP HEARING ATTACKS FROM CHINA, AND THEN KIND OF SOFTLY WORDED REMARKS FROM ENGLAND, IS IT ENOUGH?
MR MAUDE: WELL IF ONE, I REMEMBER, JUST BEFORE I ARRIVED HERE, I SAID IN AN INTERVIEW THAT CHINA'S ATTITUDE WAS NOT PARTICULARLY HELPFUL, AND I WAS IMMEDIATELY ATTACKED FOR BEING PROVOCATIVE AND FICKING A FIGHT. SO YOU CAN'T WIN IN THIS BUSINESS. EITHER YOU ARE PICKING A FIGHT OR YOU ARE BEING FEEBLE. THE FACT IS WHAT WE DO CONSISTENTLY IS TO PUT OUR ARGUMENTS, AS I HAVE JUST SAID. QUIETLY. FIRMLY, AND I BELIEVE PERSUASIVELY, AND I BELIEVE THAT IF WE CARRY ON DOING THAT THE ARGUMENTS WILL WIN.
SARAH YUEN: AND THE REST OF THE QUESTION PACKAGE BEING SEEN AS AN END IN ITSELF?
T
THE NATIONALITY
MR MAUDE: I BEG YOUR PARDON, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT SEEN AS AN END IN ITSELF, BUT IT HAS BEEN UPPERMOST IN HONG KONG'S MIND AND VOICES AS THE THING WHICH GREAT BRITAIN CAN DO TO HELP HONG KONG, AND WE HAVE RESPONDED TO THAT AND WE SHALL HOPE TO DELIVER IT FOR HONG KONG. SO FAR AS OTHER MEASURES ARE CONCERNED, DECISIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN RESPECT OF THE POLITICAL FRAMEWORK FOR NEXT YEAR, WHICH I THINK ARE IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG, THEY RESOLVE SOME UNCERTAINTY, AND ENABLE THOSE CONCERNED IN THE PROCESS TO WORK NOW, TO START WORKING TO MAKE THAT A SUCCESS. I BELIEVE ACTUALLY THAT'S AN INDICATION OF HOW KONG CAN WORK TO HELP ITSELF. THERE IS A GOOD DEAL MORE I WOULD THAT HONG KONG CAN DO FOR ITSELF THAN PERHAPS BRITAIN CAN DO.
HONG
SAY
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