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Transcript of the Financial Secretary's media session
The following is the transcript of the Financial Secretary, Sir Hamish Macleod's meet-the-press session after officiating at the "Last Blast" ceremony at Chek Lap Kok today (Friday):
FS: I'm afraid it is rather noisy, so we will have to do our best. But there will be a lot of background noise. I think it is a significant event. At its peak, this work here was producing two hectares of new land a day. So it is an amazing effort and I think about half the dredging fleet in the world was here at one stage. So it's very good to see it complete and to see the last detonation taking place, I'm glad to say safely.
And of course this was necessary to enable the rest of the work to proceed and some of you will have seen there is already concrete work rising now from the foundations and just slightly above the ground, so that is also proceeding quite well.
Any questions?
Question: Can you confirm that due to the delay of the two Financial Services Agreements, the opening date of the airport will be delayed...(inaudible)?
FS: The question was on the opening date of the airport. It's true that we really do need the FSAs to be agreed very soon. Otherwise we will face some very difficult choices on the award of contracts for the airport. But we haven't quite reached that stage yet. Until we have got the FSAs signed up it is very difficult to give a new date for completion and opening of the airport. So that is why we are being rather reluctant to do that. As soon as we have got the FSAs signed, then we can fairly swiftly, I think, come out in public and give a sensible date for completion and the opening. At the moment we have to leave that a bit in the air.
Question: How optimistic are you that the agreements can be reached before the end of the LegCo year?
FS: Well, I've learned not to be optimistic or pessimistic. But just to keep on trying. And we are carrying on talks -- talks are proceeding with the Chinese side on the financing. They haven't stopped at all, they've carried on, and I'm sure both sides will do their best to reach agreement as quickly as possible. As I say, it has to be pretty quickly.
Question: Just then you said that the Government will have some difficult choices, can you elaborate on that?