XN000022-1983-11-10 — Page 22

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1983

A: WELL, OBVIOUSLY I CAN'T COMMENT ON THAT PARTICULAR INCIDENT BECAUSE AS YET ALL OF THE INFORMATION IS NOT KNOWN AND UNTIL IT IS KNOWN ONE CANNOT COMMENT UPON EITHER, YOU KNOW, WHY IT HAPPENED AND THE NATURE OF THE RESCUE SERVICES. I CAN ONLY SAY THAT IN MY TALKS WITH THE LEADERS BOTH POLITICAL AND IN THE OIL INDUSTRY IN CHINA THERE IS NO DOUBT AT ALL THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED AND SKILLED RESCUE SERVICES. AND WE HAVE HAD OUR OWN EXPERIENCES IN THE NORTH SEA IN THIS SPHERE, THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS IN THE NORTH SEA AND THERE HAVE BEEN LIVES LOST IN THE NORTH SEA. AND IF YOU ARE DEVELOPING A MAJOR OILFIELD IN DIFFICULT SEAS THERE ARE MANY DANGERS AND PROBLEMS AND THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH THAT SITUATION IS TO HAVE THE MOST SOPHISTICATED AND EFFECTIVE RESCUE SERVICES YOU POSSIBLY CAN. AND THAT MEANS HAVING GOOD COMMUNICATIONS IN AN AREA; IT MEANS HAVING THE AVAILABILITY OF RESCUE AIRCRAFT AND SHIPS, IT MEANS HAVING ROUTES CLEARED VERY QUICKLY IN ORDER TO SEE THAT ACTION COULD BE TAKEN AND A PROPER CO-ORDINATION OF ANY URGENT RESCUE PLAN. AND I CAN ONLY SAY THAT I FOUND EVERYWHERE, I SPOKE TO, AS I SAY, THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE AND TO THE LEADERS IN THE OIL INDUSTRY, A GENUINE AND A DEEP DESIRE TO SEE THAT AT AN EARLY STAGE THE PROPER RESCUE FACILITIES WERE ORGANISED AND PROVIDED AND A DESIRE TO SEEK OUR EXPERIENCE AND OUR ADVICE FROM OUR CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE IN THE NORTH SEA AS TO WHAT IS REQUIRED AND NEEDED.

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Q: WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT HONG KONG WON'T BE ABLE TO IMPOSE ITS OWN SAFEGUARDS AS TO THE SAFETY OF THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT. DO YOU THINK CHINA WILL BE CAPABLE OF COPING WITH SUCH A COMPLEX BUILDING PROJECT?

A: WELL, WHEN YOU SAY YOU'VE BEEN TOLD THAT HONG KONG WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SAFEGUARDS ON THE PROJECT I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL DOUBTLESS BE DISCUSSED BY ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO'LL BE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT IS THE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS. AND CAN SAY THIS THAT WHOEVER THE MAJOR CONTRACTORS THAT WILL BE INVOLVED THERE IS NONE OF THEM OF INTERNATIONAL REPUTE THAT WOULD WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN A DEVELOPMENT THAT DID NOT CONTAIN THE BEST SAFETY STANDARDS. BECAUSE IF YOU TAKE FOR EXAMPLE A COMPANY SUCH AS GEC WHICH MIGHT HAVE A MAJOR INTEREST IN IT, THE IDEA OF GEC WANTING TO BE INVOLVED IN ANY PROJECT THAT DIDN'T MEET THE BEST SAFETY STANDARDS, AND THEREFORE ONE OF THE IR PROJECTS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A BAD SAFETY STANDARD WOULD DO IMMENSE DAMAGE TO THEM IN THE WHOLE FUTURE WORLDWIDE PROSPECTS. LIKEWISE, CAN I SAY THIS, THAT AGAIN IN MY TALKS WITH LEADERS OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND INCLUDING THE VICE PREMIER WHO HAS A PARTICULAR PERSONAL AND CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, THERE IS A TOTAL DESIRE OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO MEET WITH THE HIGHEST SAFETY STANDARDS IN THIS PARTICULAR SPHERE, AND CHINA WOULD NOT LIKE TO BE INVOLVED IN A MAJOR NUCLEAR PROJECT WHICH PROVED TO NOT MEET THE HIGHEST SAFETY STANDARDS, AND I THINK I CAN ALSO SAY, AS OBVIOUSLY A COUNTRY THAT'S INTERESTED IN NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT, HAS CARRIED OUT NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT IN POWER STATIONS OURSELVES, WE ARE WELL AWARE OF THE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS THEY ARE VERY CONSIDERABLE AND THE SAFETY RECORD IN NUCLEAR IS AN EXCEEDINGLY GOOD RECORD AND IF I MAY SAY SO A MUCH BETTER RECORD THAN THE SAFETY THAT'S BEEN SHOWN OVER THE DECADES SO FAR AS THE COAL INDUSTRY IS CONCERNED.

Q: WHEN YOU