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FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1993
MR HURD:
WELL, WE NEED CLEAR AND OBJECTIVE CRITERIA. THERE IS NOTHING IN THE BASIC LAW TO PREVENT THAT, THAT IS A MATTER FOR DISCUSSION AND NEGOTIATION AND THAT IS WHY I SET OUT VERY CLEARLY TODAY WHAT WE THINK IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE THROUGH TRAIN. THE CHINESE SIDE ACCEPTS THE NEED FOR SMOOTH TRANSITION. AND THE SMOOTH TRANSITION INCLUDES ARRANGEMENTS OF THIS KIND. OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE NOT COME FORWARD WITH SPECIFIC IDEAS I HOPE THEY WILL DO SO
BUT THEY ARE CERTAINLY INTERESTED IN AND SEE THE POINT OF, THE NEED FOR, A SMOOTH TRANSITION,
QUESTION:
REALISE THAT PRACTICE,
MR HURD:
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MR HURD,
MORE IMPORTANT THAT BOTH SIDES COME TO PUTTING THE IDEA OF "ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS" INTO VERY DIFFICULT
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WELL, "TWO SYSTEMS IN ONE COUNTRY" IS DIFFICULT, YOU ARE PERFECTLY RIGHT, AND THE TWO SYSTEMS HAVE SUCH DIFFERENT ROOTS AND ORIGINS. YOU ARE PERFECTLY CORRECT. THAT IS WHY I SAID IT IS A LONG ROAD, AND PROVING FROM TIME TO TIME A ROUGH ROAD. BUT IT IS A NECESSARY ROAD IT'S A NECESSARY ROAD IT IS NECESSARY FROM THE CHINESE POINT OF VIEW AND FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW BUT ABOVE ALL, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. SO IT IS A ROAD WE HAVE ΤΟ TREAD. IT HAS THESE THREE PIECES OF WORK, THESE THREE WAYS IN WHICH THE ROAD IS BEING FOLLOWED, AND WE MUST, AND WE CERTAINLY INTEND - FROM THE BRITISH SIDE AND THE GOVERNOR'S SIDE WE CERTAINLY INTEND TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO FOLLOW THROUGH BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT BUT IT IS NECESSARY. THAT IS THE PHRASE I ACTUALLY USED WITH QIAN QICHEN: ALL THIS IS DIFFICULT BUT IT IS NECESSARY.
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QUESTION: REMARKS. ?
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BOSNIA,
YOU'VE MADE SOME VERY DEPRESSING
THE INTERNATIONAL
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MR HURD:
THE ROLE IS WHAT IT HAS BEEN. COMMUNITY SHOWS NO INCLINATION AND HAS NO POWER TO IMPOSE A SOLUTION ON BOSNIA. WHAT IT CAN DO IS OFFER NEGOTIATIONS, OFFER IDEAS FOR A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT, THAT IS DAVID OWEN
IT CAN PRESS THOSE FIGHTING, THROUGH SANCTIONS AND THROUGH SAYING, "YOU ARE NOT GOING ΤΟ ACHIEVE WHAT YOU WANT BY FIGHTING". AND IT CAN SAVE LIVES BY THE HUMANITARIAN EFFORT AND THAT IS WHY WE HAVE 2,500 TROOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF BOSNIA.
QUESTION:
MR LU PING INDICATED TODAY THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO SET UP OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE THROUGH TRAIN BY THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NPC BEFORE 1995. DO YOU THINK IT IS A SIGN OF CHANGE FROM THE CHINESE SIDE?
MR HURD:
I LEARNED A LONG TIME AGO, BUT PARTICULARLY IN HONG KONG, NEVER TO COMMENT ON REMARKS ATTRIBUTED TO PEOPLE WHICH I HAVE NOT SEEN. SO I'M SORRY, BUT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK ANOTHER QUESTION? BECAUSE I'VE RULED OUT ONE QUESTION, I THINK IT IS ONLY FAIR.
GOVERNOR:
ABSOLUTELY! THAT IS FAIR AND OPEN AND ACCEPTABLE TO THE MEDIA OF HONG KONG.
QUESTION:
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DID THIS MORNING'S MEETING NARROW DOWN THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES ON THE
ON THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS? IF IT HAS NOT NARROWED DOWN THE DIFFERENCES, HOW ΤΟ SPEED UP THE NEGOTIATIONS?
/MR HURD: