8
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1991
THE
THAT THE JOINT
Q:
YOU'VE MADE A LOT OF COMMENTS ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU'VE DONE FOR HONG HONG KONG. WOULD YOU CARE TO COMMENT ON THE COMMENTS OF ONE OF KONG'S LEADING LAWYERS AND THE LEADER OF WHAT IS ALMOST CERTAINLY MOST POPULAR POLITICAL PARTY IN THIS TERRITORY, MR MARTIN LEE, YOUR MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING IS ACTUALLY IN BREACH OF DECLARATION? AND WOULD YOU CARE TO COMMENT ON THE FACT THAT NOW TWO YEARS SINCE THE AIRPORT PROJECT WAS FIRST ANNOUNCED THAT TIME THERE WAS NO SUGGESTION, EITHER FROM YOUR GOVERNMENT OR HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, THAT CHINA WOULD EVEN NEED TO BE CONSULTED,
AND SIGN A PEKING YOURSELF ALONE
HAVE TO GO TO THAT YOU WOULD STATEMENT WHICH, AS I SAID, MR MARTIN LEE BELIEVES IS IN BREACH OF THE JOINT DECLARATION?
AND
1 r
18
AT
THE
LET
SAID
OF
SAID IN HONG
PRIME MINISTER: I'VE HEARD MANY OF THE THINGS MR LEE HAS OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS AND SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE WHAT WE HAVE DONE AND OTHERS HAVE BEEN LESS SUPPORTIVE, BUT AS I ΤΟ THE EARLIER QUESTION, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF AN ELECTION KONG AND I AM NOT GOING TO GET DRAWN INTO A DEBATE ON ANYONE RUNNING FOR ELECTION IN HONG KONG, WHETHER ME LEE
THAT IS NOT FOR ME IN THE ELSE WHO WOULD HOLD CONTRARY VIEWS. OF AN ELECTION PERIOD.
COMMENTS FROM OR ANYBODY MIDDLE
UNDERSTANDING, THE Q: AFTER YOU HAD SIGNED THE MEMORANDUM OF
WOULD CHINESE SIDE HAS SAID THAT WHAT IS STIPULATED IN THE MEMORANDUM SERVE AS A MODEL FOR FUTURE PROBLEMS WHEN WE WANT TO HAVE DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
SOLUTIONS.
PRIME MINISTER: I'M SORRY, WE DIDN'T QUITE CATCH IT. TRY IT AGAIN?
COULD YOU
Q: YES. WHAT IS STIPULATED IN THE MEMORANDUM COULD SERVE AS
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? MODEL FOR SOLVING FUTURE PROBLEMS.
=
A
ΤΟ
COULD
WOULD
HONG
PRIME MINISTER: WELL, WHAT THE MEMORANDUM IS THERE FOR IS
IS ABSOLUTELY ENABLE THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS A HUGE DEVELOPMENT THAT
GO AHEAD WITH GENERAL FOR CRITICAL
THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, TO AGREEMENT. THE PROBLEM IS, WHATEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD THERE NOT WE BEEN GENERAL AGREEMENT AND HAD NOT THE MEMORANDUM BEEN SIGNED COULD HAVE EITHER CONTINUED WITH THE AIRPORT UNILATERALLY OR WE MANY PEOPLE, IF WE HAD SCRAPPED IT, HAVE SCRAPPED THE AIRPORT, HAVE SAID: SPLENDID, WHAT A WONDERFULLY VIRILE THING TO DO, BUT
IF ONE HADN'T REACHED KONG WOULD HAVE SUFFERED IF WE HAD DONE THAT.
IS A HUGE WELL, THERE AN AGREEMENT
PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SAID: MANY DISAGREEMENT BETWREN CILINA AND HONG KONG AND BRITAIN ON THIS ISSUE
SO ONE HAS TO IS IT SAFE FOR US ACTUALLY TO INVEST IN THE AIRPORT?
THE INTERESTS OF IN
THE DRAL
THE REALITY AND IT WAS WISE, INVESTORS AND IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG, TO MAKE SURE WE HAD AGREEMENT. NOW THAT IS ENSHRINED IN THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, AND THAT MEANS THE AIRPORT PROJECT CAN GO AHEAD AND IT IS SECURE THE EYES OF THE INVESTORS AND IT IS WELCOMED IN HONG KONG AND WELCOMED BEYOND HONG KONG, AND WILL HAVE A VERY PRACTICAL EFFECT OF ENCOURAGING
INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE TO BE MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT OTHER FUTURE KONG
WITH
AN
IN
HONG
/0: BUTT WITH