4.
5
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1993
"ONE
CONSTITUENCIES". YES
SEAT,
H
ONE VOTE
IN
THE DIRECTLY ELECTED
69 PERCENT, NO - 19 PER CENT.
NOW, I NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL ARGUE THAT OPINION POLL RESULTS ARE SACROSANCT. ALL I WILL SAY IS, DESPITE ALL THE CRITICISM OF THE LAST FEW MONTHS, THERE HAS, HOWEVER YOU MEASURE THEM, REMAINED A PRETTY REASONABLE LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSALS THAT WERE PUT FORWARD IN OCTOBER, BUT THEY WERE ONLY PROPOSALS AND WE GO INTO THESE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CLEAR AND PRINCIPLED INTENTION SEEKING FOR A SOLUTION, OF SEEKING FOR AN ACCEPTABLE SET ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994 AND '95 ELECTIONS WHICH EVERYBODY CAN SUPPORT AND WHICH EVERYBODY CAN REGARD AS FAIR.
OF
OF
THANK YOU MR
MR PANG CHUN-HOI (THROUGH INTERPRETER): PRESIDENT. MR GOVERNOR A LITTLE WHILE AGO YOU SAID, TODAY TALKS WILL RESUME IN BEIJING AND THEY WILL BE CONFIDENTIAL. NOW THAT I AGREE YET WHEN YOU ARE APPROACHING A PRE-ACHIEVEMENT [SIC] WILL YOU BE INFORMING THIS COUNCIL OF THE CONTENT?
GOVERNOR:
WHEN WE HAVE CONCLUDED THE DISCUSSIONS, I'LL HAVE TO COME TO THIS COUNCIL EITHER TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY HAVEN'T LED TO THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME THAT I'M SURE EVERYONE WANTS TO SEE OR WHY ALTERNATIVELY I INTEND TO RECOMMEND A SET OF CONCLUSIONS ΤΟ THIS COUNCIL, AND I GUESS SIMILARLY THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY WILL HAVE TO GO TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS AT WESTMINSTER AND MAKE A STATEMENT то THE SOVEREIGN PARLIAMENT. THIS COUNCIL WILL THEN MAKE A JUDGEMENT. I WOULD NOT WISH TO, INDEED I THINK IT'S INCONCEIVABLE THAT WE COULD AGREE AROUND THE TABLE TO AN OUTCOME WHICH WE DIDN'T BELIEVE WOULD BB ACCEPTABLE IN HONG KONG AND ACCEPTABLE TO THIS COUNCIL BUT I GO BACK ΤΟ WHAT I SAID EARLIER. MUCH AS I MIGHT PERSONALLY WISH THAT THINGS WERE OTHERWISE, I DON'T THINK THAT IT WOULD HELP TOWARDS A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION IF WE REPORTED EVERYDAY OR AFTER EVERY ROUND OF TALKS ON EXACTLY WHAT'S BEEN SAID OR ON EXACTLY WHAT'S BEEN NEGOTIATED. I KNOW THAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WASN'T MAKING PRECISELY THAT POINT, I EQUALLY THINK THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME DIFFICULTIES IF ONE THOUGHT ONE HAD REACHED A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT AND THAT FIVE MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT AS IT WERE, REPORTED THINGS.
A RESULT OF THIS WHICH IS TIRESOME FOR ALL OF US IS THAT THERE WILL IN THE NEXT DAYS, WEEKS BE, IF THE NEGOTIATIONS GO ON FOR WEEKS, THERE WILL BE A FROTH OF SPECULATION. I HOPE THAT THIS COUNCIL WILL BE A GOOD DEAL MORE MATURE IN DEALING WITH THAT SPECULATION THAN SOME FINANCIAL MARKETS ARE FROM TIME TO TIME. I AM SURE IT WILL BE. IN MY EXPERIENCE THE BEST WAY FOR POLITICAL LEADERS TO KEEP SECRETS IS TO MAKE OPEN STATEMENTS ON OCCASIONS LIKE THIS OR AT PRESS CONFERENCES BUT I HOPE OVER THE NEXT WEEKS THAT PEOPLE WILL TAKE ACCOUNT OF WHAT IS SAID, RATHER THAN WHAT IS SPECULATED.
/MS EMILY