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Question: Mr Patten, there has been saying that the two Airport Financial Support Agreements are to be signed this Friday. Is it true?
Governor: We've had very good meetings this week and discussions are continuing. I very much hope that those discussions will lead to an early agreement because I think that's what everybody in Hong Kong would like. They'd like to see as end what has been, well, four years or more of discussion and argument about the financing. In the meantime of course we've been getting on with the job of building the airport.
Question: Is the recent proposal proposed by the Chinese side help a lot in .....
Governor: Both sides have been working very hard to solve the problem.
Question: Do you expect the two agreements to be signed this Friday?
Governor: I don't want to make predictions. I'm not a weather forecaster. But I hope that if we can continue the progress that's been made so far this week we'll be able to sign the agreement soon.
Question: What's your comment on the China Motor Bus franchise?
Governor: I think that we've had to accomplish two objectives. First of all to continue to provide bus travellers with as good a service as possible. Secondly to ensure that there is sufficient competition to raise standards all round. And I think the balance that we've struck is a sensible one. We've had a very long discussion in the Executive Council about this subject. It's not the first time we've spent a long time discussing bus services and I think that judging by the reaction from travellers and the press today, I think people are understanding of the difficult choice we had to make.
Question: The Chinese authorities have claimed that the jurisdiction of the .....robbery is in China and they think that the suspects should be sent back to China, to Chinese courts for the justice. How do you think about that?
Governor: I haven't seen that report so I prefer not to comment. I haven't seen that report and I don't want to comment before I've seen the words myself.
Question: Can you elaborate what you said yesterday that in the coming months... the administration and the British side are going to discuss with the Chinese officials on all sorts of co-operation. Is the composition of ExCo also on one of those agendas?
Governor: No.