WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1993
PROPOSALS MUST HAVE SUPPORT OF HK PEOPLE
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WHAT HONG KONG WANTS AND MUST WORK FOR ARE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WHICH HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF ALL ITS PEOPLE, THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN SAID THIS (WEDNESDAY) AFTERNOON.
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SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER VISITING THE TUEN MUN DISTRICT, THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT MUST BE AN OVERWHELMING OBJECTIVE FOR EVERYONE IF HONG KONG WAS TO SEE THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY CONTINUE INTO THE INDEFINITE FUTURE.
"IF WE DO NOT HAVE TALKS, THEN WE PROCEED TO SEE OUR PROPOSALS THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THEY MAY BE AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT, HE SAID.
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"IF WE DO HAVE TALKS, 1 WOULD HOPE THAT THEY WOULD LEAD TO AN ACCEPTABLE CONCLUSION FOR BRITAIN, CHINA AND HONG KONG.'
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WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE COMMENTS THAT LEGCO DECISION HAD ΤΟ BE COMPATIBLE WITH BRITISH INTERNATIONAL ORLIGATIONS, THE GOVERNOR SAID:
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"I REPEAT WHAT I SAID LAST WEEK THAT IF WE WERE TO HAVE TALKS WITH CHINA, WHICH I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE AND WHICH WE HAVE SAID WE WOULD HAVE WITHOUT ANY PRECONDITIONS, AND IF THOSE TALKS WERE TO PRODUCE A SATISFACTORY SETTLEMENT WHICH I COULD RECOMMEND ΤΟ THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, I DON'T IMAGINE THAT I WOULD BE IN A POSITION IN WHICH I WAS RECOMMENDING SOMETHING THAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WOULD NOT FIND ACCEPTABLE.
IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION ABOUT REPRESENTATION OF HONG KONG IN TALKS, THE GOVERNOR SAID THERE WERE OFFICIALS OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WHO WERE FULL-TIME MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH TEAM IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP AND HAD MADE A CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTION ΤΟ THE BRITISH TEAM.
"NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY WANT TO TRY TO CUT HONG KONG OUT OF ANY CONSIDERATIONS IN DISCUSSIONS WHICH WE ALL ACCEPT ARE BETWEEN SOVEREIGN POWERS, BETWEEN THE SOVEREIGN POWER OF BRITAIN AND THE SOVEREIGN POWER OF CHINA," HE SAID.
ON SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE OF CONCERN TO THE TUEN MUN PEOPLE, MR
PATTEN SAID: "PEOPLE ARE EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORT LINKS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES. THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
"THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY WAS ADDRESSING THAT PROBLEM IN SOME THE ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT HE MADE IN HIS BUDGET LAST WEEK, FOR EXAMPLE, ON ROUTE THREE AND ON THE TUEN MUN HIGHWAY.
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"BUT,
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WE'VE OBVIOUSLY BREN LOOKING FORWARD ΤΟ COMMENTS BY THE DISTRICT BOARD AND BY THE COMMUNITY ON THE RAILWAY STRATEGY DOCUMENT WHEN IT IS PUBLISHED SHORTLY."
/ON THE