-

2 -

Question: But they said that they want to have some guarantee that the British side will not go to table the bill to the Legislative Council before...

Governor: I tell you what we will guarantee that we will do our best to implement the 1991 agreement, that we will do our best, we can't do more, but shouldn't do less, we will do our best to try to ensure that there is a court set up before 1997. Now Chinese officials say that they're committed to doing that. So I think there are a lot of people in Hong Kong who scratch their heads and say: 'So what's the problem?' Let me ask one simple question: the Chinese side have had the draft bill since last May, is there any way, is there any detail in which that bill doesn't comply exactly, precisely to the letter and to the spirit with the 1991 agreement? If there is any difference between that bill and the 1991 agreement, let them say precisely and in terms what it is. We don't want in the Hong Kong Government an argument about this. We don't think that this is the sort of issue about which Hong Kong people want us to argue. We think it's an issue on which people want us to roll our sleeves up and get on with the job of building the foundations for the rule of law here in Hong Kong. So we don't want an argument. We want to have the co-operation that was promised in 1991. Any other questions?

Question: Is that, I mean, the Hong Kong Government still sticks the original programme that we want the legislation pass through the Legislative Council in this session?

Governor: The Hong Kong Government's position is that we want to get on with setting up the Court as rapidly as possible and you know the implications for our timetable. And that's been our position I have to say all along. It hasn't been the Hong Kong Government which has been sitting down and relaxing since the bill was handed to the Chinese side last May. Any question on anything else?

Question: Can you tell us exactly are you going to table the bill in April?

Governor: We're going to make sure that we do everything possible to set up the Court before 1997 and if you think that I am going to tell you exactly what all our timetable particulars are, then you haven't been following me round at the press conferences very often. Any other questions on anything else?

Question: Do you guarantee that you will not table the bill in LegCo...

Governor: I said do you want any questions on anything else, and the only guarantee I am giving the people of Hong Kong is that we will do our best to implement the 1991 agreement, and the real question which you should be asking is whether the Chinese side will do their best to set up the Court before 1997 and to implement that agreement. What we can't have is a huge gulf opening up between the assurances people give about the rule of law and what they're actually prepared to do about the rule of law. So I think what we all want, should want on both sides, I don't seek to make it a matter of argument, what we should all want is action, not words. Any questions on anything else? No? Thank you very much indeed.

Share This Page