TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 1994
NO
2
ON HIS FORTHCOMING VISIT TO LONDON, MR PATTEN SAID HE WAS GOING TO HAVE MEETINGS WITH THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, MR DOUGLAS HURD THE MINISTER OF STATE AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG, MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD; AND A NUMBER OF FOREIGN OFFICE OFFICIALS.
HE WILL ALSO BE MEETING A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY IN LONDON.
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GOVERNOR SPEAKS TO MEDIA
GOVERNOR, THE RT HON
FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA AFTER ATTENDING THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING TODAY (TUESDAY):
QUESTION
ANY DECISION ON KMB
?
THAT WILL BE ANNOUNCED THIS AFTERNOON, I THINK, IN
THE
GOVERNOR
USUAL WAY.
QUESTION
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR TRIP TO LONDON ?
MR
GOVERNOR : I AM HAVING A MEETING WITH THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, WITH GOODLAD, A ROUTINE MEETING. I AM ALSO MEETING A NUMBER OF FOREIGN OFFICE OFFICIALS. I AM MEETING A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY IN LONDON. I'VE GOT ONE OR TWO OTHER MEETINGS FOR EXAMPLE WITH THE PRESS AND I AM DELIVERING A LECTURE IN DUBLIN FOR THE IRISH INDEPENDENT GROUP OF NEWSPAPERS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
QUESTION : WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THEM ?
GOVERNOR
QUESTION
I'LL KNOW WHEN I HAVE WRITTEN IT.
LETTERS PATENT
DO YOU THINK THAT THE AMENDMENT TO THE WILL SET A BAD EXAMPLE LATER TO THE SAR GOVERNMENT OR THE NPC OF THE PRC LATER? THEY CAN AMEND THE BASIC LAW, JUST LIKE THE WAY THE UK GOVERNMENT AMENDED THE LETTERS PATENT CONCERNING HONG KONG ISSUES.
GOVERNOR # WE'VE GOT QUITE A LOT OF POLITICAL PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE ΤΟ DEAL WITH AND THAT WE'LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH BETWEEN NOW AND 1997. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. BUT I THINK THAT IN COMPARISON WITH SERIOUS PROBLEMS WHICH WILL INEVITABLY CREATE FROM TIME TO TIME A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CONTROVERSY AND HEAT, IN COMPARISON WITH SERIOUS PROBLEMS, THE DISCUSSION OF THE ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS
AND HONG
LETTERS PATENT IS THE MOST SPECIOUS, SPURIOUS NON-ISSUE EVEN IN KONG'S HISTORY OF ALLEGED CONSPIRACIES AND SECRET DEALS. ONE NEWSPAPER YESTERDAY VERY ACCURATELY, WELL PERHAPS EXCESSIVELY DESCRIBED IT AS STORM IN A TEA CUP. I THINK IT'S A STORM IN A TEA SPOON,
/LET ME
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