WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1994
2
ANNOUNCEMENT то MAKE
GOVERNOR: WHEN WE'VE GOT AN
ABOUT
COMMISSIONER AND THE SENIOR OFFICERS IN THE FORCE, WE WILL MAKE IT.
THE
QUESTION: CAN YOU COMMENT ON, IS THERE ANY CONTROVERSY LEFT IN THE JLG DEFENCE LAND AGREEMENT?
GOVERNOR: THERE ARE ONE OR TWO DIFFICULT AND TOUGH ISSUES HAVEN'T QUITE MANAGED TO RESOLVE YET. BUT I THINK WITH GOOD BOTH
THAT WE WILL ON
UP
THE то
SIDES, WITH SINCERITY ON BOTH SIDES, WE'LL BE ABLE TO CLEAR THOSE MATTERS PRETTY SWIFTLY. IT DOES SEEM TO ME THAT ACROSS BOARD, THERE ARE QUITE A LOT OF ISSUES THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE SETTLE SOON. THE DEFENCE LANDS QUESTION IS GOING TO BE ONE WHICH IS GOING TO BE QUITE VIGOROUSLY DEBATED IN HONG KONG. THERE ARE ISSUES WHICH PEOPLE ARE GOING TO REGARD AS CONTROVERSIAL BUT I THINK THAT THE DEAL WHICH I HOPE WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMMEND. I HOPE THAT THE DEAL WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMMEND TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO LEGCO WILL BE RECOGNISED BY EVERYBODY AS BEING IN THE BEST INTEREST OF HONG KONG.
QUESTION: IS THAT IT'LL BE DONE OR AGREED BY TWO SIDES, SIGNING AN AGREEMENT IN PEKING, OR IN WHAT FORM? WILL THERE BE A DIPLOMATIC OR EXCHANGE?
NOTE
LIAISON BEFORE ISSUE.
GOVERNOR: IT WILL BE DONE UNDER THE NORMAL AEGIS OF THE JOINT GROUP BUT I THINK WE'D BETTER WAIT UNTIL THERE IS AN AGREEMENT CALLING OVER ITS EXACT LEGAL DETAILS. BUT, IT'S AN IMPORTANT IT'S ONE WHICH AFFECTS OUR ABILITY TO REDEVELOP SITES IN HONG KONG. WE HAVE TO TAKE A VIEW ON THE BALANCE OF ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE IN WHATEVER OVERALL PACKAGE OF MEASURE IS AGREED BETWEEN THE SIDES BUT I HOPE WE'LL BE ABLE TO RESOLVE THAT SOON.
QUESTION: YESTERDAY, MR LU SAID THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE WILL BE RE- OPENED VERY SOON. BUT WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND THE CHINESE SIDE?
SIDE
THAT
GOVERNOR: I AM NOT REALLY SURE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THE LATEST PROPOSALS THAT WE PUT FORWARD MET, IN OUR JUDGEMENT, ALL THE REQUIREMENTS WHICH THE CHINESE SIDE HAD PUT FORWARD LAST YEAR. SO, I HOPE THAT WILL ENABLE US TO REACH AN EARLY CONCLUSION BECAUSE, I THINK, PEOPLE ARE A BIT FED UP WITH THE FACT THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD AN AGREEMENT YET. MIND YOU, THEY CAN SEE THE AIRPORT BEING BUILT. THEY CAN SEE 40 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S DREDGING FLEET HELPING ΤΟ PRODUCE WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE WORLD'S GREATEST AIRPORT.
BUT, THEY WOULD OBVIOUSLY LIKE TO SEE US MOVING EVEN FASTER. THERE ARE TWO SORTS OF SPEED SEEMS то ME. THERE IS THE SPECTACULAR SPEED WE'VE MANAGED WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT. AND THERE IS THE EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR SPEED THAT WE MANAGE WITH AN AGREEMENT. WE'D OBVIOUSLY LIKE TO SEE THINGS GOING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
QUESTION: MR PATTEN, YOU MENTIONED THAT PWC MEMBERS HAVE SAID THAT THEY WANT YOU AND MR LU BOTH TO MEET? HAVE ANY OF THEM EXPRESSED CONCERN TO YOU ABOUT THE FAILURE OF MR LU'S MEETING?
GOVERNOR: NO, BUT I HAVE NOTICED, I ALWAYS BELIEVE WHAT I SEE IN THE NEWSPAPERS. I'VE NOTICED THAT ONE OR TWO, I THINK, AT LEAST TWO OR MAY BE MORE HAVE BEEN QUOTED IN THE PRESS AS SAYING, THEY THINK, THAT WE SHOULD MEET, AND SAYING THAT THEY THINK THAT WILL BE THE BEST WAY OF ADDRESSING THE CONCERNS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, NOT LEAST ABOUT THE SORT OF LIVELIHOOD ISSUES THAT I'VE BEEN DISCUSSING WITH PEOPLE IN WAN CHAI TODAY. ONE MORE.
/QUESTION: