THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1994
I CAN UNDERSTAND THE QUESTIONS, BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE THINK THEY HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS ABOUT TO BE AN AGREEMENT ON THE AIRPORT BEFORE AND IT HAS NOT QUITE MATERIALISED. ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT I HOPE THAT THE EXPRESSIONS OF CONFIDENCE WHICH ARE BEING HEARD FROM BOTH CHINESE OFFICIALS AND FROM OUR OWN OFFICIALS WILL BE TAKEN BY THE COMMUNITY AS A VERY GOOD SIGN THAT THIS TIME 'SOON' REALLY DOES MEAN SOON, RATHER THAN LATER.
QUESTION:
HONG KONG HAD AN AGREEMENT ABOUT THE AIRPORT, A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WHICH THE PRIME MINISTER SIGNED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND THAT WAS THE END OF THE STORY THEN. DO YOU THINK THAT THIS COULD BE THE END OF THE STORY?
GOVERNOR:
QUESTION:
GOVERNOR:
LONGEVITY
IT SHOULD BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE STORY.
IN WHAT WAY?
THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING IS NOW FAMOUS FOR ITS AND FAMOUS FOR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT IT DID NOT RESOLVE. THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, YOU WILL RECALL, DID NOT EVEN AGREE ON WHERE THE AIRPORT SHOULD BE BUILT. I AM SURE IT WAS A HELPFUL SIGNPOST, BUT ALL OF US ARE DISAPPOINTED THAT IT HAS TAKEN RATHER LONGER TO TRAVEL TO THE END OF THE RUNWAY OR ROAD.
IT HAS SURPRISED MANY PEOPLE, NOT LEAST ONE OF THOSE WHO SIGNED THE THAT RATHER THAN ENDING THE DISCUSSION IT APPEARED TO START DISCUSSION AND THE DEBATE. SO WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME?
IT,
-
TWO THINGS ARE DIFFERENT. FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE BUILT A LARGE AMOUNT OF THE AIRPORT AND WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET AHEAD WITH THAT NOT AS RAPIDLY AS WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN THE CASE BUT WE HAVE HAS BEEN ABLE TO GET AHEAD WITH THAT BECAUSE THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL VOTED THE MONEY.
SECONDLY, WHAT IS DIFFERENT IS THAT WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IN THIS CONTEXT IS THE AGREEMENT WHICH IS, AS IT WERE, BANKABLE. ON THE FIRST
AGREE OF ALL, THE OVERALL MINUTE IN WHICH BOTH SIDES PRECISE BALANCE BETWEEN, FOR INSTANCE, EQUITY INVESTMENT AND DEBT IN THE
ISSUES
PARENT OF A PIECES
FUNDING OF THE AIRPORT, IN WHICH BOTH SIDES AGREE ON SUCH AS
THAT SHOULD BE THE MONITORING OF THE EXPENDITURE. RAPID BIRTH OF TWO FINANCIAL SUPPORT AGREEMENTS, WHICH ARE THE OF PAPER YOU WOULD TAKE ALONG TO YOUR BANKER WHEN YOU WERE TRYING RAISE SOME MONEY.
ΤΟ
SO THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MEMORANDUM OF AND UNDERSTANDING, WHICH POINTED THE WAY, AND THE MINUTE OF AGREEMENT THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AGREEMENTS WHICH SHOULD BE NOT SIGNPOSTS BUT THE END OF THE ROAD.
DO YOU
QUESTION:
ENVISAGE SEEING THE NEW SHADOW FOREIGN AFTER ALL, SECRETARY, MR ROBIN COOK, AT ANY STAGE IN THE NEAR FUTURE? THERE HAVE BEEN SOME RATHER ALARMING STATEMENTS OUT OF LABOUR IN PAST FEW WEEKS, INTIMATING THAT ANY BRITISH RESPONSIBILITY HONG KONG, INDEED ENDURING INTEREST IN HONG KONG, SHOULD END WITH HANDOVER. DO YOU THINK IT IS YOUR ROLE TO CLARIFY SOME OF ENDURING GUARANTEES WHICH TAKE US BEYOND THE YEAR 2000?
THE
FOR
THE
THE
/GOVERNOR: